The Crystal of Life: Of Man and Spirit
by Cerasi J
Summary: More tears rolled uncontrollably down Jade's cheeks, "Please… I have so much to live for… don't let her take my life from me."
1. Of Man and Spirit

**Title:** Of Man and Spirit  
**Chapter:** 1/5   
**Series:** The Crystal of Life  
**Author:** Cerasi J.   
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** People can't come back from the dead. Can they? Set right after Darkest Hour.  
**Disclaimer:** Suze, Jesse, Sleepy, Dopey and Doc all belong to Jenny Carroll, but Dessa (Dae) O'Conner and Jade Stone belong to me! HA! Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it!

For the last twenty minutes the same thoughts replayed in my head: Jesse wants to talk. Suze attempts to get out of talking. Jesse kisses Suze.

Oh, my God. YEESS! I AM THE LUCKIEST WOMAN ALIVE! HA!

So, anyway. After he-Jesse, WEEE!-kissed me, he kinda just stood there with this look on his face that said, "Oh no, what have I done?"

And me, you ask, what did I do? Well, I'll tell you.

I sat down on the edge of my bed and giggled. Yeah, you read right, I giggled like a nine-year-old girl at an N'Sync concert. It just popped out all of a sudden, it was just, I dunno, there. It was one of those things that just had to be giggled about. And Jesse just stood there watching me, probably thinking I was insane. I didn't care, I honestly really didn't.

I felt so good at that very moment, like I could fly or something. I mean, in a good way, not in a I'm-High-On-LSD sort of way. So, finally, Jesse goes, "Susannah, what's so funny?" I noticed it seemed he had a hard time trying not to smile. "I dunno," I said, still sounding all giggly, "I just-... it's really hard to explain-... hehehehe-... I'm not laughing at you, honestly, I just-... hehehehe-..."

He raised an eyebrow at me, smirking, "Explain it to me." I fell backwards onto my bed, still giggling. "Oh, I can't, I can't, I just can't-..." I wiped tears of laughter from my eyes, "It's so complicated-..." Jesse said nothing else; he just sat beside me and tried hard not to laugh too.

That's when it hit me. I could really go for some Cheetos right now. Suddenly I stopped laughing, and I blinked. Jesse looked at me, startled, as if to say, "Now what's the matter!" So then, I look him right in the eyes and say, "I could really go for a bag of Cheetos right now." Then I started laughing again. Oh geez, how weird can I get?

I mean, laughing to the point where I fell off my bed. Well, needless to say, I had Jesse very worried. I hadn't laughed like that in years, and it felt really good. I didn't care if he thought I was skitzo, it felt really nice.

Okay, so I _did_ care if Jesse thought I was skitzo.

So, finally, I dragged myself to my feet, still laughing, I slipped into a pair of leather sandals from Lord and Taylor. Jesse grabbed my arm, "Where are you going? Your mother said not to leave the house until they got back." I shrugged, "I'm gonna go get a bag of Cheetos, want to come with me?"

He blinked, "What are 'Cheetos'?" I smiled, I couldn't help it. "They're really good-they're like cheesey things that... oh." That's when I realized they didn't have junk food back in Jesse's day, so I shrugged again, "You'll see."

Jesse frowned, but didn't let go of my arm, "You shouldn't leave the house... your mother will be mad."

"I'll be back before then," I replied, "So, are you coming or not?" He rolled his eyes, said something in Spanish and finally nodded.

Note to self: Start learning Spanish.

I started down the stairs and went out the front door. I was still smiling, I felt like skipping. _Skipping._ Oh, God. How embarrassing. Jesse walked beside me-well, he walked, I had to run to keep up with him-and never said a word. It was a comfortable silence, I suppose. But I couldn't help but wondering... why did he kiss me in the first place?

I shrugged mentally, who cares? He kissed me all the same. And thinking about it made me want to giggle again. Jesse looked over at me, and all of a sudden I wanted nothing more than to hold his hand. Cheesy, I know. Almost cheesier than those Cheetos I was going to buy.

So, trying to make conversation, I said, "How much of this"-I waved my hand, taking in the city-"was here when you were... um, well, alive?" He looked around, his eyes drinking in every detail, "None of it. Nothing was here."

"Oh. Well, what _was_ here?"

I hurried along, trying to keep up with him. "There was a saloon here, a bar I believe they're called now, a hotel, and a few other things."

"Ohh," I said, and nodded. How boring, I thought, not even a coffee shop.

We walked along in silence for a few minutes; I racked my brains for something witty to say. Frowning, I shoved my hands in my pockets, so I wouldn't do anything stupid, you know, like try to hold Jesse's hand. When we finally reached the corner store-Jimmy's Qwik Mart, the place where I met the four ghosts from RLS-I said to him, "Wait out here, will 'ya? So that way if you talk to me, I won't look like a total idiot talking to someone who isn't there."

Jesse gave me this You're-already-an-idiot smirk, and leaned against the wall. I went inside and started on my quest for the Cheetos. When I walked in I caught two girls about my age out of the corner of my eye, standing in front of the pop coolers. One was tall and skinny, blonde and beautiful, probably rich, probably a cheerleader. You know the type. And the other was short-but not fat-she had black hair, and purple eyes, obviously contacts. She had on a white long sleeved shirt, and over the white one was a black t-shirt with the Papa Roach logo on it. A long black skirt, zebra-striped tights and combat boots sealed the deal.

Yup. Your typical Goth. I know, I've met a few Goths in my day.

I walked over to the pop cooler, said your usual "excuse me," grabbed a diet Coke, and then walked off to find the Cheetos. I could feel that Goth girl's eyes on me, which was totally creepy if you ask me. I walked down the aisle with the chips and stuff; I hardly noticed when the two girls left.

As I walked toward the counter where you pay for your stuff I was wondering why a cheerleader and a goth would hang out together. I mean, isn't that why there are Goths in the first place? Because they're outcasted by the preps?

I mulled over this question as I handed over a five to the latest surfer-cashier behind the counter. I stuck the change in my pocket, tucked the bag of Cheetos under my arm and I went outside, only to find that the blonde girl I had seen in the store was leaning close to Jesse, talking to him.

Okay, this kinda freaked me out, so I walked over to Jesse just in time to hear the blonde girl say in this really lusty voice, "Hi... this is my friend, Jade," she pointed at the Goth, "And I'm Dessa O'Connor... but you can call me Dae."

Jesse blinked at the two girls, obviously startled that they could see him, he said nothing. I have to admit, I was pretty startled too, I mean, how many Mediators are there in this city! The Goth girl tugged at Dae's elbow and mumbled something, because then the cheerleader turned around and glared at me, "What?"

I shrugged and also said nothing, I was too busy looking at the cord that hung around her neck. It looked to be a homemade necklace, you know, the kind you would make your mom. It was a plain, brown leather cord, but at the end there was a shard of crystal, it was a blueish-grey color and almost seemed to be glowing. Whoa. Creepy.

The girl-Dae-turned her attention back to Jesse, she licked her lips, "So cowboy, what's your name?" I raised an eyebrow at this, the Goth chick-Jade-took up glaring at me with her beady purple eyes.

Jesse finally seemed to notice me, he gave me a _please help me_ look. "Uh," he said, "Jesse." I wrinkled my nose, shook my head and sent him a look of my own, the _boy are YOU stupid_ look. The blonde girl reached out and touched Jesse's shoulder, "Ooh," she cooed, "That's a nice name for a cowboy." Ugh, this was sickening. It was almost worse than watching Dopey and Debbie make out.

Okay, so it wasn't _that_ bad.

But it ticked me off all the same. At this point I stepped forward, past the Goth who was still glaring daggers at me, and past the blonde girl who obviously wanted to do some unspeakable act with Jesse right there in the street.

I grabbed his elbow, twisted him around and gave him a shove in the direction of home, "Well gals," I said, "Nice to meetcha, but we have to run, _ciao_!"

And before you could actually say _ciao_ Jesse and I were up the hill and around the corner, heading toward home.

---

Back on the street corner Dessa O'Connor and Jade Stone watched the two leave. "Jade," said Dessa, flinging her honey-colored hair over her shoulder, "Find out who they are..."

Jade looked grim at this command, but Dessa continued, "Find out who _she_ is, and do whatever it takes to get her out of the way..." Dae grinned, it was a grin Darth Vader would be wearing. "He's next."

---

Fifteen minutes later when Jesse and I arrived at home, I flung myself on my bed and started devouring my snack, wondering just exactly how many Mediators were in Carmel. Jesse sat down on the day bed on the other side of my room, "What was that all about?" he questioned.

I shrugged and said around a mouth full of Cheetos, "I dunno... but that freaked me out, what do you think? Are they Mediators?" He blinked at me, "Why are you asking me? How should I know?" Duh. Stupid me. I said, sheepishly, "Oh... yeah, well... any ideas?" I twisted the cap off of my Diet Coke and took a swig.

Jesse looked up at the ceiling, as if all the answers to my problems where hidden there, "None whatsoever," his eyes drifted to me. "Why were they looking at me like that?"

"Like what?" I asked. He shifted uncomfortably, "Well, like-... like-... you know-... they acted like your friend Gina did." I stared at him for a moment, unable to contain my grin, "You mean, why were they coming onto you?" Jesse nodded, "Yes." I kept grinning at him, he obviously had no idea how hot he really was. "Well," I said, pretending to think, "maybe they thought you were cute."

He blinked at me again and made a face, "Cute? My little sisters were _cute_, Susannah." Rolling my eyes, I took another sip of my Coke. God, guys could be such idiots sometimes. "Fine then, attractive."

"Oh. I see. Why would they think that?" He raised an eyebrow at me, and I knew he was up to something. Something no good, probably.

"Um, well..." I ate a few Cheetos and tried to think up an excuse for getting out of this conversation. "Uh," I said again, "because you are?" Oops. I think I said too much. I blushed and tried to cover my mistake, "Well, I mean-... for a dead guy." Jesse stood and smirked at me. God, I hated it when he did that... it made me feel so... so... Scarlett O'Hara. I held up my hands, trying not to smile, "Hey! Don't slap me or anything, I forget you're still touchy about the dead guy thing."

He grinned and stood looking down at me, "Susannah," he said, still grinning like an idiot at me, "do _you_ think I'm attractive?" I stopped smiling, oh God, oh God. What do you say to that! I opened my mouth to reply, "Uh, well, you see-..." I played nervously with the cap on the bottle I was holding, "Well," I stuttered, I was starting to sound squeaky again. God, I hated that. "M-maybe... just a little."

Jesse shook his head and chuckled. My face, I knew, was probably bright red. "Okay," I said, still playing with the bottle, "so, maybe a lot, what's it matter anyway?"

"Oh, oh, a lot now, is it?" He sat down in front of me. "You know," I said, rolling up the bag of Cheetos, "This isn't really fair, I mean, I don't go around saying, 'Hey, Jesse, who's your favorite Mediator? Me or Father Dom?' do I?" He tried hard not to smile at me, "Oh, well, that's an easy one." I looked at him hopefully, I wasn't the best Mediator, that was for damn sure, but maybe Jesse thought I was an okay one.

So I said, "Oh? Really?"

"Sure," he said, "Father Dominic."

I reached behind me, grabbed a pillow, and hit him in the face with it. He totally didn't see it coming, which was really funny, because I knocked him off my bed. I laughed at the sight, it was extremely amusing to see him sprawled out on the floor, blinking up at me and looking annoyed. "That's what you get," I said, laughing hysterically. "For being mean to me!"

"Oh," he said, climbing to his feet, "Let's talk about being mean, Susannah!" He then grabbed the pillow from me, and smacked me upside the head with it. I couldn't believe this. I really couldn't. That was the first time I had ever horsed around with Jesse before. (Nothing kinky, you pervs! Get your minds out of the gutter! Honestly!)

I mean, my dad and I used to play around all the time like this, you know, like tickling wars and pillow fights and all that? That's when it hit me. Suddenly, I felt very sad. I was so busy mediating all the time, I never really had a chance to realize something.

My father was dead.

My father, who made me blueberry pancakes on Saturday mornings, then watched cartoons with me. My father, who stayed up with me when I had bad dreams. My father, who tucked me into bed and read me stories about princesses and dragons.

God, how I missed him.

"Jesse," I murmured, not really in the mood for a pillow fight anymore, "Where do you think my dad is?" He gave me a funny look, then chuckled, dropping the pillow back to my bed. "What brought that on, Susannah?"

I shrugged, "Just thinking... about my dad. Some of the things he and I used to do together." Jesse looked sympathetic, "Like what?" I shrugged again, "He used to make breakfast on Saturday mornings. Then we'd watch TV together..." He sat down beside me again, listening and still looking sympathetic. Did I mention he looked really cute when he was sad? You know, like a puppy or something.

I smiled, "And on my birthday, he'd run into my room and tackle me, saying he didn't believe in birthday spankings, but he did believe in birthday tackles."

Jesse grinned, "And when is your birthday?"

My smile faded slowly, I was still thinking about my birthday tackles. "October 17th." He nodded, "Mine is-well, was-April 19th."

I turned to him, surprised. You learn something new every day, I guess. "April 19th is my mom's birthday." Jesse raised his eyebrows slightly, "Oh. Really?" I nodded, "Yeah. What a small world." At that point I really wondered what my mother would think of sharing a birthday with the ghost of the hot cowboy guy living in my bedroom. I sighed.

I was about to ask Jesse just exactly how old he was when he died, but that's when my door flew wide open and Doc ran in. "Suze!" He threw his arms around me and hugged me tightly.

I was so surprised; it was my turn to fall off the bed.

Jesse grinned at me and disappeared. I looked at Doc, "Doc-I mean, David! It's good to see 'ya kid, how was camp?" He looked embarrassed and helped me up off the floor, "Oh, I had fun!" He lowered his voice, "How are you feeling? Is... um, your ghost still hanging around?"

Oh sure, David, he just kissed me and then I talked him into walking to the corner store with me where we met up with a bimbo mediator and a Goth mediator. Oh yeah, he's cool, no problem.

Instead I only shrugged, "He comes and goes."

At this point Andy came in my room to yell at Doc for tackling me. "David! Suze isn't feeling well, you should have knocked first!" At this point I felt bad for little David, who slunked out of my room like a sad puppy. "Oh, no, Andy," I said, "It's okay, David was just telling me about camp." Andy frowned, "Well, your mother and I still want to talk to you about your, um, state of health."

DAMMIT! I was so excited about Jesse kissing me I forgot that my mother and stepfather wanted to take me to the E.R.

I swear; the people at the hospital probably knew me by name now.

I nodded, "Yeah, yeah, okay." After that I went downstairs, mom fussed over whether I need an MRI or not, we had dinner and I was sent back to my room to "rest". HA! Just as I was snuggling down between my sheets, I saw Jesse standing in the far corner of my bedroom.

I propped myself onto my elbows and said, "Geez, Jesse, I hate it when you do that!" He grinned at me, walked over to my bed and sat down beside me. I raised an eyebrow at him, "Doc keeps asking about you."

"I know."

"You know? What are you doing? Spying on me?" I grinned at him, I couldn't help it. "No, Susannah, I'm not spying."

"I was just kidding anyway." I flopped back down against my pillows and closed my eyes. "What should we do about those two mediator chicks? Should I call Father D?" I asked, with my eyes still closed.

"No," Jesse said, "Just rest for now, Susannah."

He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead, which then caused all the muscles in my body to freeze, and for my heart to stop beating. My eyes flew open, oh yeah, I could really get used to that.

He brushed my hair out of my eyes and whispered, "Goodnight, _querida_." And with that he disappeared. I rolled over on my side and fell asleep very quickly.

I didn't see Jesse again for three days.

To Be Continued...


	2. Building the Mystery

**Title:** Building the Mystery  
**Chapter:** 2/5   
**Series:** The Crystal of Life  
**Author:** Cerasi J.   
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** A teenage boy and his best friend have been murdered, but what does that have to do with Jesse?  
**Disclaimer:** I disclaim NOTHING, Jenny Carroll! It was YOU who forced me to write this fanfic because I'm in Mediator withdrawl because YOU won't finish the fifth book! ... Okay, okay, fine. Suze, Jesse, and everyone else from the books belong to Jenny Carroll. :Grumbles:

---

_You live in a church,  
Where you sleep with voodoo dolls   
And you won't give up the search  
For the ghost in the halls._

-Sarah McLachlan, _Building a Mystery_

---

Dessa O'Connor admired herself in the bathroom mirror. She leaned close to the glass to get a good look at her eyes, then leaned back, and forward again. The mirror she was looking into took up an entire wall in her large bathroom, and was framed in 14 karat gold. In the mirror, Dessa glanced at her counterpart, Jade, who was typing madly at her computer.

To any normal person who entered Dessa's bedroom, they would have said she was obsessive with things. To those who knew her, knew she wasn't obsessed, she was a collector. She collected everything she could think of, when she was a little girl, it was Barbie dolls. Her parents traveled all over the world just to find a certain kind of Barbie.

When she went to school she began to collect other things, living things. She was the most popular girl in grade school; she had the most money, the most parties, and the most friends. When she went to middle school it only got worse, she had even more friends, but she was beginning to collect other things, like pets, she had seven cats, five dogs, two hamsters and one genuine Colorado Prairie Dog.

High school took the cake. Prom queen, Homecoming queen and Student of the Year at RLS for two years running, Dessa had so many friends she didn't know what to do with them.

And she only wanted more.

"Dessa, how long are you gonna spend in there?"

Tossing her pretty hair over her shoulder and primping for a moment longer, she stepped back into her bedroom. Dessa's bedroom walls were covered with posters of rock stars-another one of her collections. Jade Stone, the raven haired, violet-eyed genius of the two, sat in front of Dessa's top-of-the-line laptop computer. "Where the hell have you been?" Jade asked while she typed. "None of your business," Dessa snapped, "Did you find it?"

Jade shrugged and spun the chair she was sitting in around to face Dessa, "I hacked into the Mission Academy's records, like you asked." She added the last part bitterly. Mentally, Jade fumed. She hated doing work for Dessa; she didn't want any part of her dirty work. But, Jade supposed, it kept her heart beating. Jade went silent and Dessa made an annoyed motion with her hands, _"And?"_ Swinging around to face the computer again, Jade rested her combat-clad boots on Dessa's expensive desk, something that annoyed Dessa from time to time.

"The girl's name is Susannah Simon, just moved here from the Big Apple." Jade shut her mouth, if Dae wanted any more information, she'd have to get it herself. Dessa wrinkled her nose in dislike, "_Susannah?_ What kind of name is that?"

Jade shrugged again, "Beats me."

"What about the guy?" Dessa practically drooled.

"A one Hector deSilva, dead of course, someone ran a big article on him in today's paper." Shooing a large orange cat out of a very big, also very expensive chair, Dessa sat down and raised her eyebrows, "What about him?" Jade didn't tear her eyes away from the computer screen, "Hector de Silva was the son of a very rich ranching family way back in 1850 or so, around the time of the Gold Rush. He was murdered by his evil cousin, Maria, just so she could marry some old dude named Diego."

Dessa pouted, "Aw, the poor thing. Why did he say his name was Jesse then?" Jade again shrugged, looking annoyed. "How should I know? I didn't know the guy. The only reason I knew it was him was because they have a picture of him in the History section of Carmel's website." Dessa blinked at her friend, "You do this for _fun_? Looking _up_ stuff? What ever happened to hanging out on the beach?"

Jade shot her a sidelong glance, and said sarcastically, "I don't hang around with cheerleaders, its against my religion to support organized crime." This caused Dessa to let out a sharp bark of laughter; she obviously didn't get it. Unable to contain her excitement any longer, Dessa stood up on the chair and began to jump on it like a little girl, "So can I call him? Please?"

Jade frowned and watched Dessa jump up and down in the chair, "I dunno... that girl... Susannah, she knows something we don't. I just have a feeling about that." Dessa rolled her eyes and jumped out of the chair, she landed on her feet with a muffled thump. "Oh c'mon, don't be such a baby, I don't care about your _feelings_."

Turning her back to Jade, Dessa looked out the window, sighed happily, and closed her eyes.

All the while Jade was frowning, "This is going to get you killed someday, you know that, don't you?" Dessa's expression turned stormy for a moment, she went back to the task at hand. Ignoring Jade's comment she continued to smile as she thought of the young man she'd met today. Without warning, the cats hanging around in Dessa's room suddenly went running for the door.

Jade watched them, her face expressionless. "Dessa," she whispered, staring, "He's here." It always scared her when Dessa did this, it wasn't right. Dessa opened her eyes and saw him standing in front of her, "Hi!" she said with a perky grin. The young man was obviously startled; "Who are you?" He asked.

Still grinning, Dessa stepped closer to him, "You remember me, right? We met on the corner today... before your friend so rudely ended our conversation." Jesse blinked, "I remember you, yes, but what am I doing here?" Dessa, still, grinning, said, "Oh, you'll see."

She took the necklace off her neck and took another step closer to Jesse.

Jade shut her eyes.

---

When I opened my eyes, my first thought was: _Where the hell is Jesse?_ I mean, he had been gone for three flippin' days, when was he coming back? I kinda wanted him to kiss me again. Isn't that selfish of me?

Not that I would admit that to him, mind you.

That's when I realized it was the middle of the night. Huh. I never woke myself up, usually some way-ward spirit did. I sat there blinking in the bright moonlight, wondering where Jesse was. Well, I pondered, maybe he was just embarrassed, you know, for kissing me and all. Or maybe he knew he was falling madly in love with me and he had to stay away for fear he'd do something unthinkable. Like sweep me into his arms, kiss me passionately, and call me _querida._

Yeah, right. That'd be the day.

I got out of bed and walked over to the window, kinda sad that Jesse hadn't been around. I mean, I just risked my life to go and bring him back from limbo or whatever, and he can't even drop into say hi sometime? Men, I tell you, you can't live with them and you can't kill them. Well. Mostly because Jesse is already dead, but you know what I mean.

As I was staring out the window, standing there in my The X Generation: Trust No One t-shirt and Bugs Bunny boxer shorts, (okay, these I stole from Doc because I thought they were cute, so sue me), watching the ocean reflect the moonlight I was thinking about Jesse kissing me. (Again.) I couldn't help but wondering... I mean, he had a million chances to do it before, why then? Was it because I risked my life to save his soul and he finally realized he couldn't live without me and I was his one true love? Or was he just trying to say thank you?

Argh! Argh! Men, I swear to God! It's amazing anyone ever gets married with the way men act!

As I was lamenting the fact that the love of my life had to be dead, a figure appeared on the other side of the room. I figured I already knew who it was, so I didn't even turn around, since I _was_ kinda mad at him.

"Oh, sure," I said, sarcastically, "_Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me_, is that it, Jesse?" The figure standing beside my daybed cleared his throat, "Uh, miss? I hate to-..." I spun around, very surprised when it wasn't Jesse standing there. I gaped at him. The guy was about my age, dead of course; he had plain brown hair, green eyes and a medium build. He was sorta hot, I guess, but not as hot as Jesse.

"Yes?" I managed to stutter. He cleared his throat again, "Um, well, see... they-he-the, uh, gatekeeper, said I should find a Mediator."

Oh! Oh! Russell Crowe referred me, I'm so popular!

I said, in way that Jesse would have been proud of, "Okay, what's your name?" Ha! I remembered that time! Put that in your crack pipe and smoke it, de Silva! Mentally, I stuck my tongue out at Jesse. The guy cleared his throat again, "Um, my name is Noah Logan."

I filed his name away in the back of my mind for future reference. I sat down on my window seat, "Okay, Noah, what can I do for you?" See? See? Am I really that bad of a Mediator? "Well," Noah said nervously, he played with the hem of his gray t-shirt, "See, there's this girl...and-... well, I need you to tell someone something..."

Oh God, I hate these cases. Guy-loves-girl-but-couldn't-tell-her-and-now-he's gone-and-he-gets-the-mediator-to-do-it. Those? Yeah, I hated those kind of cases. I heaved a sigh, "Look, what's her name, and what do you want me to tell her?" He blinked at me, "Her name is Dae, and you can tell her she's a freakin' dog, but that's not what I'm here for."

It was my turn to blink, he didn't say actually say freakin', and he didn't say dog, if you know what I mean. "Well," I said, recovering from my slight shock at the use of his language, "What are you here for?" Noah sat down on my daybed; "I'm here because my best friend and I were murdered."

Ooh, a scandal... So I went, "Uh huh?" He looked at his hands in his lap, "Yeah... you see, there's this girl, her name is Dae, and-... this is gonna sound out there, but I think she's a mind controller. I mean, she can tell people what to think." Okay, this was a new one. Ghosts, no problem, I can handle 'em. Vampires, I do okay at... but a mind controller? I mean, c'mon, before these people come to me, do any of them even stop to consider my personal safety?

He then went on to explain to me that his best friend Josh Alma had been dating this girl Dae, and she was really weird, and he told Josh that this girl wasn't good for him, and he and Josh got into a fight. He didn't talk to Josh for a week; then Josh turned up dead. The creepy thing is, Noah said, a week or so before Josh died his eyes had been empty, not full of sprit and life like they always had been.

Okay, this is waaaaayyyy too Stephen King for me.

He went on to say that he did some digging into Dae's past, but found nothing. Somehow she found out about it, and a few days later the brakes on his car didn't work and he got ran over by a semi truck on his way back from Josh's wake.

Whoa. Big time bummer for Mr. Logan.

I was starting to nod off as he told me, not because he was boring me, but because working the past three days and staying up late so I wouldn't miss Jesse had caught up to me. You're probably wondering why I didn't just call him, right? Well, I was going to-I wanted to-but I was thinking, well, if he's all embarrassed about kissing me and stuff, I'll just give him his space, so I did. That's why I didn't call him.

Anyway, all Noah wanted was to make sure that this girl Dae didn't get away with her crimes, then he could rest in peace with his best friend. And all I wanted was for Jesse to kiss me again, was that so much to ask? I'd settle for a peck on the cheek kinda kiss... I really would... oh; Noah's talking again.

"So, you'll find her? And turn her in?" He asked, peering at me eagerly. I yawned and waved a hand, "Uh huh, damn right I'll catch her, she sounds like one mean, uh, girl." Like I care about your dead friend and his psycho ex! _Where the hell was Jesse?_ Noah sighed, a smile forming on his lips, "Oh, thank you... thank you so much, uh, what was your name?" Name? Was he talking to me again? Oh God, why couldn't he just go away? I just wanted Jesse to come back so I could gloat about remembering to get the guy's name!

"Susannah Simon, you can call me Suze," I said, really starting to wonder about Jesse. I mean, was he like, okay, I have kissed a nice girl, I can move on in peace or whatever? Wait. Did Jesse ever kiss Maria? ...If he did, that kinda means... in a really roundabout way... I kissed Maria.

Um, okay, _ew._

Noah smiled again; he had a nice smile, but not as nice as... "Oh, okay, thank you then, Suze." I sighed. "It's not problem, I'll get on it right away." With another smile and a thanks to me, Noah finally-finally-disappeared. I slumped back against the window seat and yawned again. I closed my eyes, I should probably go back to bed pretty soon, or I'll fall asleep in the window seat. Oh, but it was so comfortable right there... and ocean was so pretty... and the air smelled so nice...

I could feel myself starting to drift off, I mean, I know I should have probably gone downstairs and gotten a phone book so I could find this Dae person, but c'mon, it was two a.m. The sound of the ocean through the open window is what I think did me in, I mean, it kinda rocked me to sleep, you know? I don't know how long I was asleep, but it was long enough for me to dream.

I dreamed that Tad Beaumont moved back to Carmel, and wanted me to marry him. Seriously. Well, the dream was so weird, it woke me up again. I opened my eyes and blinked. It was cold, the morning fog had rolled in, even though it was only like 3:30 a.m. according to my alarm clock. And the first thing I saw when I woke up was the ocean, and I was all, "What the hell?"

For some reason I thought I was in my bed, I dunno why, have you ever been really sleepy and think, Oh, I want a drink of water, and you think you get up with every intention of getting that water, but you're so tired you actually dreamed you got up I think that's what happened to me.

I blinked again and moved to get off the window seat, as I did, I noticed someone peering down at me intently, "Susannah?" Okay, I admit it; I kinda freaked out and screamed. Well, c'mon! If you woke up from a really weird dream about some guy wanting to marry you and someone is just there, standing over you, looking all hot and sexy and manly, you'd scream too!

I clutched my chest because my heart was beating so fast, "Jesse!" I hissed, "Where have you been?" I hope I didn't sound too desperate. He stared down at me, a grin quirking at the corners of his mouth, "You were expecting me, Susannah?" Oh, God. Now how do I get outta this one? "Well... you just haven't been around for a few days, I thought you were avoiding me." There, honest enough. Jesse sat down beside me on the seat and shrugged, "I wasn't avoiding you, Susannah, I just-..." He paused, "...-needed some time to think."

I was too tired to ask him, "Thinking about what?" so I let it lie, I mean, even dead guys gotta think, right? I yawned and nodded, "Yeah, okay, whatever." I stood up and crawled back into bed. I was pretty sure I didn't dream it that time.

Jesse got up, too, and stood at the end of my bed.

He looked like he was about to say something. What could something be? "Suze, I love you, run away with me?" And _then_ he'd sweep me into his arms and call me _querida_? Instead, he just smiled and said, "Goodnight, Susannah." And disappeared.

My last thought before drifting off was, If he wasn't already dead, I'd kill him a second time...

---

When I woke up, my first thought was, Is Jesse ever going to kiss me again? Seriously. Why am I so pathetic? I yawned and stretched, what time was it? And why was I so tired? Oh. Yeah. That Noah kid... and that girl Dare? No, Dae. What was his problem again?

Oh yeah, he was murdered. Poor guy. Kinda like...

"Suzie?" My mother poked her head in my room, "You awake?" No, Mom. I'm sitting here with my eyes open, yawning. I must be sleepwalking. Duh. "Yeah," I said, "I'm awake. What's up?"

"Oh," she said, cheerfully, "we were just wondering how you were feeling... any better?" Feeling better? What did she mean? Oh yeah, I almost forgot, the ghost of Felix Diego pushed me off the roof and almost killed me. That must be what she meant. "Oh..." I paused, "Pretty good actually, can I go to the beach?" Mom frowned, "Well, honey, I don't know, I'd still like it if you got that bruise checked out..."

"Mom," I said quickly, pushing back the bed covers and padding over to her, "Seriously, I'm fine. Really, I banged my head on one of the cupboard doors in my bathroom. I was running myself a bath, I leaned over to grab the bar of soap, and smacked my head." My mother seemed to buy this, "Oh! Well, why didn't you say that before? It looked to me like you fell out of a watchtower or something." She laughed.

"Ha ha," I said, I wasn't amused. "Well, I think I'll get dressed-..."

"Oh Suzie," Mom interrupted, "Put on something... nice, okay? We're all going out to breakfast to celebrate David coming back from camp." Oh great. Why me? It seems that I have all the bad luck in the world. Like I was born on a Friday, broke a mirror, walked under a ladder, and a stupid black cat crossed my path. All on the same day! "Okay," I said, glumly. "I'll be right down."

Mom fussed over me a minute longer, then went downstairs. I turned toward my closet doors, what to wear to today? I reached to open the door when I heard, "Um, excuse me?" I whirled around and was face to face with Dr. Clive Clemmings, Ph.D. "Oh my God," I exclaimed, "You again?" He blinked his frog-like eyes at me, "Apparently so, Ms., er, Ackerman."

"It's Simon," I snapped at him. Okay, you know what I really wanted? I mean more than anything in the whole world at that point? I'll tell you what I want. I want to take a day, go to a spa, have my hair done, get a massage by some hot Swedish dude named Hans, and sit in one of those mud baths with something hot and fruity to drink. That is what I want. You know, hang with the living for a while, reaffirm life and all that good stuff.

Maybe I should take Cee Cee, too. Too bad Gina couldn't come.

"Simon?" Clive echoed, "I thought your name was Susan."

"Why can't you people ever get it right? It's Susannah Simon. Suze for short. Simon is my last name, Andy Ackerman is my stepdad."

"Oh, I see," Clive said. "And is your-..." Before he could finish his sentence I heard another voice, "Susannah?" I turned around and thought, I want a full day's massage, at Pebble Beach, maybe they could give me a discount because I work there... it would be well worth it. "Ah," I said sarcastically, "Jesse, hello. Clive, meet Jesse, Jesse meet Dr. Clive."

I threw open the closet doors, grabbed whatever I laid my hands on, which was a white J. Crew sundress, and stalked off in the direction of my bathroom.

Okay, I admit it, I was mad. Well, wouldn't you be mad, too? I mean, I had been awakened at two in the morning by some guy looking for revenge on his best friend's ex girlfriend, I fell asleep on my window seat, (not to mention that now I have a stiff neck because of it), made a fool of myself in front of Jesse, had a run-in with Dr. Clive, and now I have to go out to eat to welcome David home.

I showered, brushed my teeth and did my hair. When I peeked out of the door, both ghosts where gone. I sighed in relief, it's not that I didn't like Clive, no, I liked him because he gave me a lot of info on Jesse, it's just that I was so fed up with mediating and anything to do with the undead.

I snuck towards my closet, grabbed a pair of Jimmy Choo sandals, "Susannah, what's the matter?" I turned around and there stood Jesse, leaning against my bedpost looking all hot and manly. Again. "Oh," I said quietly, "Hi."

"Good morning," he said. Sometimes it drove me crazy how polite he was to me. "What happened to Dr. Clive?" I asked as I slipped my sandals on. Jesse shrugged, "He left." Oh. That was it then, he left. And all I have to say is good riddance. I don't want to sound like a twerp here, but I am really tired of dead people. I mean, first I save the guy I love from certain doom, and then almost get killed by his murderous ex-girlfriend.

Then he treats me as if I don't exist. Well, he did he kiss me. But he acts like it never happened at all. Don't I mean more to him than that? Even a little bit more? I nodded and crossed the room, my back to Jesse. Fine, two can play at that game. I picked up my French-style telephone and dialed the number for the Pebble Beach Resort.

After a few minutes I explained to the woman on the line that I worked there and my girlfriend and I needed a day at the spa. She was very sympathetic to my plight and she gave me a great deal. $250.00 for me and Cee Cee to spend a day at the spa! I booked it; I couldn't pass a deal like that. I turned to leave again, without saying another word to Jesse. "Susannah, what's the matter?" He asked again. Now I kinda felt bad for being mean to Dr. Clive, I mean it wasn't his fault he died... it was Jesse's evil ex.

"I-...um, it's nothing, listen Jesse, sorry I was mean before, but I'm in kind of a hurry, I have to go out to eat to celebrate David getting home-... and Mom is probably getting upset by now, so, um, yeah..." I picked up my purse, aware that I was babbling, "Seeya soon, I guess."

I started to cross the room, but Jesse's voice stopped me again, "Susannah, are you upset with something I did?" I whirled around, confused, "Mad? At you? No, Jesse, why would I be?"

He looked at his feet, "Well..." Then it dawned on me, "You think I'm mad at you because you kissed me?" Much to my surprise, Jesse shrugged shyly and continued staring at his feet. I couldn't help but smile, I mean, he was totally cute. And for some reason his sudden shyness put me in a better mood. "No, Jesse, I'm not mad at you at all, but listen, could we talk about this later? I really have to go now."

Jesse nodded again; he looked really cute, smiling all shyly like that... "Okay Susannah, I'll be here." I smiled back, "I lo-..." Oh my God! I almost said it! AGAIN! "Um," I amended, "I'll see you later."

I turned and bolted for the stairs. I can't believe I just did that... I almost told Jesse I loved him... it just kind of slipped out...

Why me?

---

"Mmm... Suze, you sure know how to spend an afternoon," Cee Cee said dreamily from her massage table. I could barely hear her, I was in total ecstasy. I felt all sleepy from my massage, so my answer was slurred, "Yeah, I guess I do."

"Ricardo," Cee Cee said, Ricardo was the name of her masseuse, "Could you go a little lower, please?" Ricardo replied, "_Si._" It was apparent Ricardo didn't speak much English. I sighed, so far today I had had my hair cut and styled, (it was about three inches shorter and now rested nicely on my shoulders,) I had a manicure, a pedicure, a mud bath and now a massage.

It had relaxed me nicely and I looked much better, but I kept thinking, What did I do to Jesse? After I got back from breakfast yesterday, he wasn't there, but Dr. Clive was. So I had to help Dr. Clive. And I hadn't seen Jesse after that. And to be honest, I was kinda starting to worry. Cee Cee's voice interrupted my depressing thoughts, "Suze, we have got to do this more often."

"Only if you're buying next time," I replied, wishing it were Jesse giving me the massage. I felt blood rushing to my cheeks at that thought. I shoved that nice mental image out of my head and thought, instead, of Noah Logan and his girl problem. "Hey Cee Cee," I asked, getting a sudden idea, "Do you know anyone named Dessa?"

"Dessa?" Cee Cee echoed, turning her head to look at me, "I've heard of her, yeah, what about her?"

"Who is she?"

"Only the richest girl in Carmel, that's all."

A sudden thought occurred to me, could she be the weirdo I met on the street corner the other day? And could she have something to do with Jesse being gone? "Hey, her last name wouldn't happen to be O'Connor, would it?"

"Yeah! That's the girl, her parents own like half of Atlantic Airlines or something, and they are LOADED. She goes to RLS, she was Homecoming queen two years in a row. Why?" I hate this part, because I really hate to lie to Cee Cee, "Um, I just wondered, I read something about her in the paper the other day, and I just wondered if you knew her," I said, suddenly feeling depressed.

Was Jesse _cheating_ on me?

---

When I got home I found Jesse sitting on my daybed, reading Tom Clancy's _Net Force_. "Hi," I said. I flopped down onto my bed; my body still tingled from the mud bath and massage. I took a deep breath and sighed happily. I toed off my shoes and snuggled into my bed, mmm... Mom must have washed my blanket today, because it smelled Downy fresh. "Where have you been?" Jesse asked me as he stood up. I closed my eyes and replied, "The spa."

"The what?"

"Never mind."

"Well, wherever you went, you look a lot better, you don't look as pale."

I sat up and yawned, "Thanks!" Well, at least Jesse had noticed that I didn't look well, that was always a plus in my book. "Susannah," Jesse said, his tone held a hint of surprise-and something else... anger? "What happened to your hair?" I looked into the mirror, what was wrong with it? "Oh, I had it cut... and they added some blonde highlights, do you like it?" Like he would care, anyway.

"Why?" he asked.

"Why, what?" I turned to him, puzzled.

"Why did you cut your hair? I liked it the way it was before." Jesse reached out and ran his fingers through the few stands that rested on my shoulder. This surprised me because it was very un-Jesse-like that he would comment on how good I looked and the new length of my hair. He must have read the surprise in my face; since he pulled his fingers back and said, "Sorry."

"Um," I stood up, "That's okay... I'm just, um... going to go brush my teeth... uh, and stuff... so goodnight!" Jesse stood up, too. "Goodnight, Suze." Then he disappeared. I could only stare at the spot where he had just been standing. Suze? _Suze? Jesse called me Suze_?

And he asked about my hair? This was kind of starting to scare me... I turned and went into my bathroom. Whoever ran his fingers through my hair wasn't the Jesse de Silva I knew and loved. That I was sure of.

---

On the other side of town Dessa O'Connor let herself into her bedroom carrying a pizza box and an armload of shopping bags. She dropped the bags on her bed and opened the pizza box. "Where have you been?" asked a voice from the shadows.

Startled, Dae spun around, prepared to fight. She settled when she saw the figure in the corner. She breathed a sigh of relief as Jesse-now wearing a pair of Levi's and a blue knit shirt-stood up and walked over to her. _I missed you_, Dessa thought.

"I missed you," Jesse said, draping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him. "Mm, I missed you, too, Jesse," Dessa replied, snuggling into his embrace. _Tell me you love me_, Dessa commanded. Jesse leaned close to her and brushed the long, blonde hair away from her chocolate eyes, "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Dessa smiled, "I love you, too, my dear." _Now kiss me._ Smiling, Jesse bent down and kissed her slowly.

Locked in a corner of his mind, Jesse fought to escape. He screamed and pounded on the mental walls that held him prisoner.

Across the room, Jade Stone watched the couple kiss, undetected in her spirit form.

To Be Continued...


	3. Answers

**Title:** Answers  
**Chapter:** 3/5  
**Series:** The Crystal of Life  
**Author:** Cerasi J.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** More tears rolled uncontrollably down Jade's cheeks, "Please... I have so much to live for... don't let her take my life from me."  
**Disclaimer:** Could this be classified as Suze-torture? Whatever, I don't own 'em.

---

At this point in time I sort of suspected this chick Dessa of attempting to steal my boyfriend. So, I did what any suspecting, loving girlfriend would do.

I broke into the little tramp's house.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am **NOT** condoning breaking into people's houses, it should only be done under extreme circumstances. And besides, I didn't exactly break in. I mean, c'mon, I was wearing a pair of khaki J. Crew chinos and a sleeveless red cowl-necked sweater for crying out loud. I just went to the door, proclaimed myself as one of Dessa's friends and her mother let me in. Simple as that.

I mean, she's a rich girl, right? Why wouldn't she have a ton of friends? It was _ingenious_ on my part, if I do say so myself. But I don't want everyone thinking that I went off half-cocked with this wild, half-baked idea, well... maybe I did. But I was kind of provoked.

After I came back from the spa with Cee Cee, Jesse acted like he owned me or something, and that kinda ticked me off, I mean, he never paid attention to me before, why start now? Not that I didn't mind or anything, him paying attention to me, I mean, I just thought that this might call for some investigating. I also hadn't seen Jesse since that little incident after the spa, either. Which was two weeks ago.

So when I rang the doorbell of Dessa's house-mansion actually-I really didn't know what to expect. But I could try my best. A middle-aged woman opened the door; she was blonde and was wearing this lavender business suit that probably cost more than my entire _house_. She blinked at me and then smiled, causing her Botox-injected forehead to crinkle slightly, "Hi. How can I help you?"

"Like, hi!" I said in my perkiest Kelly Prescott impression, "I'm like looking for Dessa, is she around?" Dessa's mom shook her head, still smiling, "Nope, I'm sorry, she's not here right now."

"Oh," I said, _think fast, think fast! I have to get in there_ "Well, she like, borrowed a book from me a few weeks ago, and like, I need it for homework, ya know? And she like, hasn't given it back." Her mother blinked again, "Oh, what book is it? I can go find it for you." Damn, this isn't working! "Um," I said, "It was called _Catcher in the Rye_."

"Really?" She asked, sounding genuinely amazed, "I didn't know Dess read that book." I shrugged and she said, "Well, would you like to come in? You can help me look for it." Okay, this was getting weird, but whatever. I need to get in the house. I had to do this for Jesse. "Like, okay!" I said. She stood to the side of the door and let me in, "I'm Leigh," Dessa's mom said, "What was your name again?"

"Um. I'm Amber... uh, Amber Leed," I said. She looked puzzled for a moment, "I don't think we've ever met, Amber." I was totally prepared for this, so I went, "Oh, well, I just met Dessa, like, a couple of weeks ago at the beach." Which wasn't exactly a lie, I met Dessa in a convenience store, which was not too far from the beach.

"Oh! Well, nice to meet you then, Amber." Mrs. O'Connor shook my hand. I looked around the house. It was so fancy; I don't think even Bill Gates has a house like this. You know, gold plated faucets, Olympic sized swimming pool, the works. I didn't have much time to look around, however, because Dessa's Mom lead me right upstairs. At the landing, she hung a right and we went down this really long hallway, and at the end of this hallway was this old fashioned looking door, it looked like someone had swiped it from the Mission.

Mrs. O'Connor opened the door and walked right in, she didn't knock or anything. Well, I guess since Dessa wasn't home she didn't have to knock. Whatever. "Okay," Mrs. O'Connor said, "We'll try the book shelves first." Dessa's mom went in search of the non-existent book and I could only stand there in awe. Dessa's room was about the size of Andy's workshop, which is surprisingly huge. She had posters of rock stars tacked up everywhere, from Everclear to Led Zeppelin to Savage Garden to Pearl Jam, she had them all.

And she had a lot of cats, too. Like ten of them, I swear. I finally kicked into gear and entered the room. Immediately I had this weird sort of feeling, like I could feel an evil presence; like Darth Vader was hiding in the closet or something. Her mom puttered around the book shelves, (which, I might add, were like library size), muttering, "_Catcher in the Rye_... Hmmm... _Catcher in the Rye_..."

While she was busying herself with this, I took a look at Dessa's desk, which had a top-of-the-line laptop computer on it. I noticed there was a pile of mail behind the laptop. I shot a glance at her mom, who was still playing librarian. I moved around to the front of the desk, running my hand along the back of the laptop. I knocked all the mail off and went, "Oops!" and bent down to pick it all up.

I started to gather it all up when I noticed an invitation card, it read:

_"You are cordially invited to Robert Louis Stevenson School's annual Carmel Day dance, this Friday, eight p.m. at RLS. Feel free to bring a guest."_

A dance, huh? This Friday? Today was Sunday! I gathered up the rest of the mail and placed it back on the desk, I slipped the invitation into my coat pocket and asked Mrs. O'Connor, "So, did you like, find it?"

"No," she replied sadly, still looking over the shelves, "She always keeps her books in one place," her blue eyes lit up with a sudden idea, "I know! Let me check the library downstairs, I'll be right back." Mrs. O'Connor stood up to leave and I pretended to take great interest in a Bon Jovi poster on the wall. She left the room and I quickly removed the invitation from my pocket. Over by the computer I spotted some sort of fancy copier, I prayed it was color.

I looked it over and found that all the buttons were confusing and the whole machine was very intimidating. I lifted the lid carefully and placed the invitation card on the glass screen. I then closed the lid and pushed the "Copy" button. It few seconds later it spat out two color copies of the invitation. I carefully folded both copies, and stuck them in my pocket. One copy for me, one for Cee Cee, because I knew I was gonna need some help with this one.

I placed the original invitation back in the pile of mail behind the computer, mail, I assumed was from all her boyfriends and such, because she just struck me as that type of girl. Just as I walked back over to the wall to stand under a Will Smith poster, Mrs. O'Connor came back in carrying a book, "I found it!" She proclaimed triumphantly as she handed me a brand new copy of _Catcher in the Rye_.

I thought this was rather amusing, considering I had never even read the book. I took the book from her hands, "Like, thanks!" I said, smiling. Mrs. O'Connor walked me down the stairs and to the front door, I thanked her again and told her I hoped I would see her soon.

I walked down the sidewalk back toward my house. As I walked, I pulled the two invitations out of my pocket and read them over again; I had a lot of work to do if I wanted Jesse back.

---

Two nights later, I was laying in bed thinking to myself, _What is going on here? I just don't get it._ I mean, one night Jesse is chatting with me, like usual, now he disappears for days at a time, and when he comes back he acts totally different. It's so weird, and really, if you think about it, it all started with that girl Dessa. Dae, whatever the hell her name is.

I rolled over on my side and sighed heavily, why was stuff like this always happening to me? And why was it always happening to Jesse? I mean... he _could_ have gone to Dessa and had her help him move on. I mean, since she could see him, I guess she was a Mediator. But... if Jesse wanted to move on, why didn't he just stay up there in limbo or whatever, instead of climbing down and beating up Paul Slater and Felix Diego?

And what if he _did_ move on? What if he changed his mind or whatever and wanted to go back? And if he did change his mind, why couldn't he have gotten me to help him? Or Father D? I mean, yeah, it would have been a conflict of interest and all that, but if he _did_ go, I would have liked to have said goodbye, you know?

I couldn't help but getting all teary eyed at that thought, what about when Jesse kissed me, didn't that mean anything to him? Anything at all? 'Cause it sure meant a lot to me! Those stupid tears just would not leave me alone, I mean, I thought Jesse and I had something... maybe a little something, that could never work, him being dead and all, but it was still something!

Just as I was about to let all those tears spill over so I could cry and feel sorry for myself, I noticed a faint glow coming from the corner of my room. I sat up quickly and gasped. Great, who could it be this time? Noah Logan, Jesse or Dr. Clive? I think I'll take door number two.

It was really dark in my room, so I had a hard time making the person out, because he or she was standing the corner of my room, and was hidden in the shadows, but ghosts do glow after all. I almost dared to hope it was... "Jesse?" I asked quietly, crossing my fingers and holding my breath.

The figure stepped out from the corner of the room, it took me a minute to recognize her, but when I did, I was very surprised. It was Jade, the creepy Goth girl from the convenience store. But I noticed she didn't seem so creepy anymore. I stood up and couldn't help but asking, "Oh my God, are you _dead_?" Jade seemed to find this amusing, since she gave a slight smile and her purple eyes sort of lit up, which was totally weird. She replied, "I was, once."

I blinked stupidly at her, too surprised to formulate a proper response. "Susannah, right?" She asked. I nodded and suddenly, she looked sad, and she motioned to my daybed and said, "Can we talk?" This also surprised me, I mean; c'mon it was the middle of the night after all. I nodded dumbly and sat on my daybed. After a moment, Jade sat beside me.

I looked her over closely; this time she was wearing a plain white sundress, no shoes or socks, and her jet black hair had a really wicked affect against the stark white of her dress. Jade sighed in a sad sort of way and said; "I've known Dessa since I was a very little girl, since before kindergarten probably, but I never really liked her. She used to follow me around everywhere, hug on me and tell everyone we were best friends, but I never liked her." Ew, I would be totally freaked if Dessa hugged me.

"When I was nine years old I developed a form of leukemia and I was given nine months to live." Jade paused and I could only stare at her in a mixture of awe and horror, she continued, "I had a bone marrow transplant, and that helped somewhat, but I only got sicker. Dessa kept telling me not to worry; she could bring people back from the dead. Of course, I didn't believe her, and I got worse and worse. But she kept right on telling me not to worry; she'd bring me back. I was still well enough to walk at the time, so I told her to prove it."

Jade paused again, "So she did... she took her new puppy... Root Beer we called him... because he was all brown and white..." She smiled wistfully and continued, "And... and... she threw him under the tires of an oncoming car on our street." I sucked in my breath, "Oh my God, you're kidding me!" Oh God, how horrible, throwing a puppy like that! Under the wheels of a car, too, talk about cruelty to animals.

"No, I'm not kidding..." Jade said, "But, I started crying and Dessa told me to shut up and she picked up... um, Root Beer's body... and put him on the sidewalk, and there was this bright, bright light and he barked and jumped into my arms and licked my face... it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen."

Oh man, this was getting too creepy for me... I had goose bumps and everything, in a way I wanted her to shut up, but maybe she had some info on Jesse. "Well... a year after that, I was in the hospital... and... and... I was so sick... and Dessa was visiting me, I was hooked up to all these machines, and she was yakking away like I wasn't sick at all... and suddenly... I... I just felt everything stop... my heart stopped and I just closed my eyes and I thought, 'Man, this is it... I'm dying.' And then it all went black... and I was standing in this long hallway with all these doors and all this mist, and then everything was blue, I was in a blue room, it was featureless, but I could see out, it was like I was in a cage, surrounded by blue glass... and I could see myself, my body, and then I opened my eyes again and I could breath and I could see and I felt perfectly fine. Like I always felt before I got sick and Dessa was standing there and she smiled at me, a sort of evil smile and she said, 'Now, you owe me.'"

I found myself staring at Jade, I could feel my jaw hanging open, "W-what happened to you then? D-did you die again...?" I almost hated to ask that, but I wanted to know why she was sitting in my bedroom, glowing. "No," she answered quietly, staring at her bare feet, "I'm alive, but somehow... I can move freely between the realms of the living and the dead. I can see dead people, like you can. That's how you can see me. But-..." She turned to me and took my hands in hers, "You have to understand, Dessa is a very dangerous person... she wants everything she can get, you see?"

Her hands were warm and soft in mine and I felt so confused... "No, no... I don't understand... how-... what did she do with Jesse? A-and Noah? Noah Logan?" I felt like crying again, but this time because I was so confused... Jade sighed and let my hands go, "Dessa has many powers... she studies black magic, and she wears a Crystal of Life around her neck, I have done some research, the Crystal of Life dates back to the times of wizards and dragons, it was said that Merlin himself at one time possessed the Crystal, and there is only one in the whole world, the others were destroyed. Dessa's crystal contains a power that can be used for good or evil. The necklace she wears, have you seen it?"

I almost laughed, wizards and dragons? I mean, seriously. C'mon. Instead of laughing, I answered her question, "Yeah, I think so, it's like a blue thing on a leather cord?"

"Yes," Jade confirmed, "It is very fragile, and she harbors souls inside the Crystal. That is where I was when I died." I just looked at her, what was with this chick anyway? But... something about her story made me want to believe her, I mean, after all she was sitting right in front of me, wasn't she? "But, there's more," Jade said, looking at me intently, "When the Crystal was given to Dessa, it gave her incredible powers, the power to bring people back to life, the power of mind control and the power to create people."

"_Create people?_" I asked, "C'mon Jade, anyone has the power to do that, I mean, you just gotta find the right guy-..."

"No!" Jade exclaimed, "She has the power to MAKE people, out of the clear blue, she just thinks and they are there, right in front of her."

"Yeah," I said, rolling my eyes, okay, this was getting lame, "right, so if she thinks of Elvis, Elvis stands before her?" Jade nodded grimly. "So, how do my boyfriend and Noah Logan fit into all this?"

"Josh Alma was one of Dessa's many boyfriends, and she was getting very serious about him, but he very rightly wanted out the relationship with her... so... she... she stole his soul." This time I did laugh, "Oh my God," I said, doubled over from laughing, "You are so full of it! Demons and wizards? Black magic? Soul-stealing? That's a great story!" I sat up, wiping my eyes, "But you know what? That's really funny, but it's all so stupid, you're dead, you see, and you have this little problem, it's called DENILE!"

Before Jade looked scared and sad, but now she looked hostile, "I am not dead and I am NOT making anything up, if I'm making anything up how come your boyfriend is missing? Huh? Explain that to me then, if you think you're so smart, _Mediator_."

That one shut me up right now, lemme tell you. She was right, in a way, and I really had no right to laugh at her like that, "Well," I said quietly, "then what happened?" Jade stood up, still looking hostile, "When a body has no soul, it can't survive, that's where Dessa's mind controlling powers come in, she can tell them what to do and what to think, but she can't keep the bodies alive without their souls." This one made me think, "Well... why does she 'steal their souls' then? If she wants to keep them alive, why doesn't she just leave them alone?"

"Because," Jade sounded impatient, "If she loses her friends, she wouldn't be popular, and if her friends turn against her, she steals their souls to add to her 'collection' and she can keep them alive with her powers. But only for a few weeks, days even." Okay... maybe this was kinda making sense... "So... you're telling me that Dessa is a greedy person, who steals people's souls and controls their bodies like a remote control car and their bodies slowly rot away and die?"

Now Jade looked triumphant, "Yes! That's correct!" I rolled my eyes, "God, why couldn't you just say she was turning people into zombies?"

"You just don't get it, do you?" Jade fumed, "You can stop her, you're the only one who can!" Now I was kinda getting mad myself, "Well, if you would stop being so damn cryptic, maybe I could figure out a way to help you!"

"Don't help me," Jade said with a stony face, "help your friend, he's the one that'll need it." Suddenly, it was like... everything clicked into place. "Oh my God," I said in awe, "You mean... if... she makes Jesse into a real person... and I... I smash the crystal... Jesse... will..." I almost couldn't bring myself to say it, it was too good to be true, "Jesse will be... _alive_?"

Jade nodded smugly, "You finally figured it out."

But this was the part that didn't make any sense, I had seen Jade and Dessa together at the store that day, and Jade knew my name, so that means that Jade would have to be close enough to Dessa all the time to know all this stuff about her, right? So why couldn't Jade smash the crystal herself?

Suddenly, that piece of the puzzle clicked into place, too. I said quietly, "She's controlling you, isn't she? That's why you came to me."

Jade looked at her feet and answered after a good minute and a heavy sigh, "Y-yes... she makes me do things... bad things, things that I don't like... like dress like a Goth to make my parents mad... she says if I don't do whatever she says, she'll take away the life she gave back to me..."

When she looked up at me, I saw she was crying, "I believe her... I know she'll do it, and you have to stop her... please..." More tears rolled uncontrollably down her cheeks, "Please... I have so much to live for... don't let her take my life from me."

---

Well, after a plea like that, how can you not help a person? Today was Wednesday, and Friday was the big Carmel Day dance at RLS. (I have never ever _heard_ of Carmel Day, but I guess it was a day to celebrate the history of the town or whatever.) So I had a lot to do if I wanted to get to that dance, destroy the crystal and save all those innocent souls from an eternity of torment and suffering. (And bring Jesse back to life, HEHE!)

The whole bring-Jesse-back-to-life thing had me a little bit worried, I mean, what if it didn't work? Then I would have got my hopes up for nothing! But if it does work... I can't tell you how happy I would be. I really, really can't. Anyway, if I wanted to pull this off, it would call for a big plan. The first thing I did was call Cee Cee and ask her if she wanted to go to the Coffee Clutch, so I had an alibi. Cee Cee said yes of course, and I told her I would meet her there.

Then I had to bum a ride from Sleepy who wanted to know what I was up to, because I was "so happy looking". I told him I was going to go meet Cee Cee. When I got to the Coffee Clutch, Cee Cee and Adam where both there. So I ordered a glass of water and sat and chatted with them like nothing big was going down, and when Adam got up to use the restroom I leaned over and whispered to Cee Cee, "Hey, Cee, listen, I need your help with something."

And she was all, "What, Simon?"

So I said that I had been getting e-mail from this guy who said he was from RLS, and said he had heard about me saving Bryce Martinson from the falling breezeway at the Mission, (this was caused by a really pissed off ghost who was jealous of me), and he wanted to meet me. He even went so far as to ask me to the Carmel Day dance!

Cee Cee said he was probably a stalker and I should just ignore him, so I squealed, "CEE CEE! What if TAD BEAUMONT moved back to Carmel and is E-MAILING me?" Cee Cee said it was possible, but she hadn't heard anything about the Beaumont's moving back to Carmel. So I said, "Cee Cee, who cares? Okay, this guy _asked me out_, and he even mailed me a copy of the invitation!" I pulled the color copy from my pocket and handed it to her. She looked it over and was very impressed and said I should go for it then, but asked what did I need her help for?

I told her I had no idea what to wear to a Carmel Day dance, and since she's lived here longer than I have, I figured she could help me shop for a dress, (am I clever or what?) She said yes, and after that Adam came back and we all went home. When I got home I stood at my front door and waved as Cee Cee and Adam drove away, then, taking a moment to compose myself and fill my lungs with air, I practically kicked open the front door and screamed, "MOM!" and then bolted toward her office, (after I closed the door of course).

Mom was in her office and was a bit freaked at all my screaming, but I kept on screaming, (because I had to act for the role, you know.) And I went, "MOM! OH MY GOD! GUESS WHAT?"

And Mom says, "Suzie, calm down, what?"

But I went right on squealing like a little kid at Christmas, "Oh my God! You know Carmel Day? It's this weekend and there was this really hot guy at the Coffee Clutch"-I went on to describe Jesse-"and he like, goes to RLS and he totally asked me to the dance! _At RLS!_ Can you believe it?" I swear to God, my mom was just as excited as I was. (Supposedly.) And she was all, "How old is he? What's his name? What time is the dance? And oh, WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO WEAR?"

I explained to her, that since Cee Cee was there, she had volunteered to take me shopping, since I hadn't lived in Carmel that long and I had no idea to what to wear to a Carmel Day dance. Mom was all excited and gave me her American Express card, (you know, the one with Russell Crowe on it?), and said I should call Cee Cee after dinner and set up a shopping time for tomorrow, since it was only two days till the big CD dance!

That night I went to bed dreaming of a beautiful cream-colored gown that would make Jesse forget Dessa ever even existed.

---

Cee Cee and I couldn't actually go shopping until Friday afternoon, on account of Cee Cee had an appointment with her dermatologist on Thursday. So we had Adam drop us at the mall and spent all afternoon looking and shopping and shopping and looking until I finally found the perfect dress.

It was a hot little black number that was sleeveless, and sort of form fitting and kinda low-cut, (Don't get me wrong, I don't like to dress like I'm Britney Spears' twin or whatever, but remember, I was aiming for making Jesse forget Dessa existed), plus it was 50 off at Nordstrom's!

Then Cee Cee and I hiked over to DSW Shoe Warehouse and I picked up this pair of strappy, sexy, black, three inched Sam and Libby spiked high-heels. These I didn't get 50 off on, but who cares, they were hot! And besides, they totally matched my dress, which was another thing I was aiming for. After that Cee Cee and I went over to Ulta and I picked up some new make-up, (some kick ass red lipstick and matching nail polish which was on sale!) Then I said I just had one more stop, Cee Cee said she didn't care, she was having a blast.

The last stop was Clare's, where I picked up an AWESOME pair of silver hoops, and a serpentine design matching silver armband. I was going to be the head-turner of the Carmel Day dance. (Or, at least I felt that way.)

It was around five o'clock when Cee Cee and I were finally ready to go home. Adam picked us up at the main entrance to the mall; I threw all my bags in the trunk and hopped in the back seat. Adam happened to see all the bags I piled in his trunk and asked, "Geez Suze, did you buy the whole mall? What's the occasion? Your own wedding?"

Heh, I wished. "No Adam," Cee Cee said as he pulled onto the road and headed toward my house, "Suze got invited to a dance, at RLS, no less."

"Oh," Adam said, reaching to turn on the radio, "I see, then she's too good to ride in this car then, here, let me let you out..." He started to pull over on the side of the road, but I reached forward, cuffed him upside the head and said, "Home, James!"

We all laughed and sang along with Third Eye Blind the whole way home.

---

When we pulled up in front of my house, Cee Cee got out to help me with my bags, she pulled the Ulta bag from the trunk and asked, "Would you like me to come over after dinner and help you with your hair? I wouldn't mind."

"Aw," I reached over and hugged her, "You are totally sweet, Cee Cee, that would be so great, would you? Is Adam gonna drive you or do you need a ride? I can have my mom pick you up."

"No," she said as we walked to the front door, "I'll get a ride from Adam, does your mystery date have a car?"

Oh boy, am I glad she asked that, I forgot how I was going to get to the dance! "Um, yeah," I said, "But he like, called me last night and said that his car was in the shop and his parent's car was totaled in a wreck a few nights ago."

"Ah," Cee Cee replied, "What's the guy's name anyway?" I turned the doorknob and let her go in ahead of me, "Uh, Michael." She set the bags in the entryway and pretended to gasp, "Not Michael Meducci!" I laughed and set my bags beside hers, "No, no, no, he's in prison, remember?" We both chuckled, and then Cee Cee took a deep breath and said, "Mm, what's your step-dad cooking tonight?"

"Um," I took a whiff of the air, "Beef stew? I dunno." I shrugged and then a horn honked. "Oh, that Adam, always impatient, I'd better run, I'll see you at say, seven? Are we driving you to the dance then?"

"Yeah, if you don't mind, I mean, it would be kinda weird for my mom to drive me, right?" She laughed and I walked her to the door and waved goodbye to Adam as they drove away. Then of course, after that I had to show mom everything I had bought, I explained to my mom that "Michael's" car was in the shop, and Adam had volunteered for the job to drive me. Mom was really disappointed that "Michael" wasn't picking me up. But, whatever.

After that I had to eat dinner, by that time it was 5:45. Then I ran upstairs and took a fast shower. I got out of the shower, dried off and pulled on my black panty hose, (did I ever mention that I hate those things?), and black dress, I put on my earrings and slipped on my silver armband. I had just enough time to blow-dry my hair before Cee Cee got there.

She's such an angel, I swear, I'll love her forever. Cee Cee, I mean. It took her about twenty minutes to do my hair, it would have taken much longer, but I had had it cut a week or two before. When she was done I couldn't believe how good I looked, I mean, she did a number on my hair, lemme tell ya. It was all swept up in this fancy bun-thingie, and had these ringlets on both sides of my face. She stepped back to admire her handy work, "You my dear," she said, grabbing my shoulders and peering at me in the mirror, "are gonna knock 'em dead."

I stared at myself in the mirror and I felt like a princess, and then I thought of what Jesse would say about me.

Then I realized if I didn't pull this off Jesse might never be coming back.

To Be Continued...


	4. Showdown

**Title:** Showdown  
**Chapter:** 4/5  
**Series:** The Crystal of Life  
**Author:** Cerasi J.  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** That's when I was pretty sure that there was simply no more blood left in my body. And I also found that I was too tired to care anymore...  
**Disclaimer:** Okay, if I owned the Mediator books do you honestly think I'd be reduced to writing fan fic? I don't think so.

---

I didn't get to Robert Louis Stevenson until a little after eight o'clock. Because first mom insisted on taking my picture, then she demanded "Michael's" phone number so she could call his parents, finally Andy came out and was all, "Aww, isn't she cute?" Cute? I'm dead sexy, _screw_ cute, okay? Whatever, I'm not even his kid! By this time it was ten to eight and Adam was all, "Okay, we gotta go, buh-bye." And he totally charmed his way out of the house.

In the car I asked them, "Would you guys... like, come inside with me? You know, just to help me look for him? I made a copy of the invitation, you know, a color copy and it looks exactly like the original, and it says I can bring a guest and Adam can have his own invitation. That way we can all get in."

"Huh! I don't get to escort the fair lady into the ball? The nerve!" Adam huffed. Cee Cee rolled her eyes and said, "Sure, I can help you look, but I don't know if they'll let me in, dressed like this." She looked down at her outfit; she was wearing a purple cashmere sweater, a white bucket hat, blue jeans and her famous purple-lenses. "Aw, you're fine," I said as I looked out the window, "just tell them your dog died today and you didn't have the heart to change."

I felt butterflies rise in my stomach, I didn't know what to expect with Dessa tonight, but I knew it wasn't going to be pretty. What if she tried to steal my soul? Like Jade had said. Would Jade even be there? I was sure she would be. She was basically Dessa's shadow, and not by choice either.

Those simple butterflies turned into bile that rose into my throat as we pulled up to the school. There was a line of cars that stretched all the way to San Jose, I swear. "Suze, you and Cee Cee get out and head to the doors, see if you guys can get in, I'll try to find a parking spot," Adam said as he stopped by the flag pole. My hands shook as I got out of the car and walked with Cee Cee toward the school's entrance.

Cee Cee kept yakking about whatever, my dress, my make-up, my hair. Finally we made it to the doors, I handed the man my invitation and said that Cee Cee was my guest. "We have a dress code, you know," the man at the door said, eyeing Cee Cee's blue jeans. "Oh," Cee Cee said, grabbing my arm and hauling me inside, "My friend brought my dress, she's inside, she brought it because my dad totally wouldn't let me wear it out of the house, okay, bye now!" As soon as we got past the idiot at the front doors, I said, "Thanks Cee Cee!" and I made a mad dash for the gym, where the dance was being held. I ran as fast as I could in spiked high-heels. As I ran, I looked everywhere for Jesse, but I couldn't see a soul. (No pun intended).

Cee Cee caught up with me as I stood at the front doors of the gym, "Suze, wait up, will ya?" Where was he? Where was he... where was Jade? And Dessa? "Suze, answer me, yoo-hoo!" That's when I saw him. Jesse. Just standing there, next to Jade, who was dressed in the exact same way when I first met her. I stopped in the doorway, staring. My jaw was slack, Cee Cee continued to yak in my ear, "Did you find him yet, Suze? C'mon, I gotta get home, my dad'll kill me if he finds out I'm here..."

She followed my gaze, her eyes settling on Jesse. "Wow," she breathed, stepping into the doorway, "Is that your mystery man? He's hot." I nodded; I just stood there, staring at him. It was the first time I'd ever seen Jesse wearing different clothes... this time he was wearing a black tux, and let me tell you, he looked fine. I mean, really, really, really _fine_. That's when I realized something... Jesse wasn't a ghost anymore. He was real. Flesh and blood. Standing there, plain as day, like everyone else.

"Wait!" I said suddenly. I turned to Cee Cee, "You can see him?" Cee Cee nodded, obviously distracted by the sight of Jesse's abs, "Hmm-mm... and I like what I see..."

I felt like fainting. I really did.

My heart gave a happy leap. "Wait here," I said to Cee Cee. I ran into the gym before she could protest. I had to lift the hem of my dress up so I wouldn't trip on it. It seemed to take me forever to get to the west side of the gym; I dodged people, ducked in between dancing couples. Finally, I reached him. Jade had walked off into the crowd, leaving Jesse by himself. I ran over to him. _"JESSE!"_ I was so happy, without thinking, I threw my arms around him and hugged him tight.

It was such a weird feeling... Jesse had a heartbeat... and, and he was _warm_, you know, like a living person would be? And... he smelled really _good_. "Who are you?" He questioned harshly; he took my arms and tried to pry me away from him. I was so shocked by his actions; I let him go and stumbled backwards. "Jesse?" I whispered, "Don't you remember me?"

He looked down at me and I saw something that would haunt me forever, his eyes-Jesse's eyes-seemed empty... almost... lifeless. "No," he replied, "Who are you?" I gasped, "Jesse! What is _wrong_ with you! What happened! It's me! Susannah!"

"Who?" He asked again, a puzzled look upon his face. My heart was racing so fast, my knees were weak. "Y-you don't remember me?" My eyes filled with tears, "Me?" I whispered, "Suze? The Mediator girl... you used to, um, live in my bedroom...?" Jesse shook his head, "Sorry... I don't think I know you."

That's when it hit me. I mean; it just fell on me like a ton of bricks.

I spun around and I was face to face with Dessa O'Connor, who just smirked at me. "Isn't he cute?" she asked, the smirk growing on her face. "And he's all mine, he doesn't even remember you, Suzie."

That little all-knowing smirk is what drove me over the edge, my blood boiled. I didn't know what came over me. Usually I'm calm, and cool, and collected when it came to beating people up, but this time I wasn't. Rage, anger, hate, and fear are what drove me to do it. Rage at what she did to Jesse, anger that she had the nerve to do it, hate because I was pretty sure I hated her, and fear-fear for myself, and for Jesse-fear that I might not get through this one alive.

"YOU!" I screamed, pointing a finger at her, "ARE _SO_ DEAD!" I sprang forward suddenly, my hands clenched around Dessa's throat. The force of my attack surprised us both, she stumbled backwards and I landed on top of her, my hands still wrapped around her throat. I started to squeeze, hard. "Where is he!" I yelled over the blaring music and surprised gasps of the innocent dance-goers, "Where's Jesse! What did you do with him, you bitch!"

Her eyes grew wide, she gasped and started to turn blue, her nails gorged deep cuts in the skin on my wrists, "Can't-..." she started. Before she could get another word out, I squeezed harder. That's when it all started, the highlight of my wonderful evening. Suddenly, a chair went flying over my head, it was meant to take off my head, of course. I ducked, and accidentally lost my hold on her throat. I rolled over on my back as another chair flew over me; Dessa was hurling things at me with her mind.

Big mistake on my part. But I didn't care; she deserved everything I gave her, she'd taken away the one thing that made my life worth living: Jesse.

Dessa stood, her eyes blazing, the crystal shard hanging around her neck seemed to throb with an internal light of it's own. "You ruined EVERYTHING!" She yelled at me. "I ruined nothing!" I informed her, getting to my feet. "You did!" She insisted, "Jesse and I have something! I love him!" Okay. I admit it. That pissed me off big time. I strode forward and slapped her across the face, I mean, I slapped her _hard_.

Hard enough to send her sprawling on her butt.

Dessa stared at me from her position on the gym floor, she raised a hand to her cheek, there was a small trickle of blood running from her lower lip, "You-... you _hurt_ me." I hauled her to her feet and slapped her across the face again. "Good!" I screamed. Boy, I was really losing it. "I hope I kill you!"

Her eyes still blazing, Dessa said through clenched teeth, "You... hurt... me..." With each word, stuff started flying about the room. It started with small stuff, you know, a few members of the Junior Varsity Volleyball Team, a table, a chair; the usual stuff. People were starting to gather around us, in a circle, staring and gaping at the unthinkable site unfolding before them. Jesse was one of those people in that circle; he was standing next to Jade, who was clinging tightly to his arm, watching me with desperate eyes.

I ducked to avoid being hit by a chair that flew towards me. Dessa's hands were clenched into fists and they rested at her sides. She stood directly across from me. We circled each other like those two Egyptian chicks from _The Mummy Returns_.

Cee Cee and Adam were now part of the circle of people who watched.

That's when she decided to get me with physical attacks, boy; she was more of an idiot than I had previously thought. She screamed really loud and ran at me. _Oh please_, I thought, _is that all you've got?_ Just as she got close to me, I sidestepped and held out my hand, so when she ran by, she ran right into my fist. Dessa doubled over, groaning. I then took the liberty of grabbing a fist-full of those pretty blonde curls and brought her face in contact with my knee.

I was very pleased with myself when I heard nasal cartilage breaking.

This kick sent her reeling back to the floor, "My dose!" She wailed, as blood dripped off her chin and into her lap, "You bwoke my dose!" Echoing Jesse's words from a month or so ago, I hauled her to her feet again and said, "I'll break more than your nose if you don't bring him back!" Really big stuff started to fly around the room now, like the DJ's equipment, speakers and CD players and stuff, a few more Junior Varsity Volleyball players. The thing is, this time, all that stuff made like a big tornado in the middle of the gym.

And that mini-storm cell was headed right towards me.

I just have one question. Why me? I mean, seriously. It was all her fault to begin with, I mean, she's the one that kidnapped Jesse's soul in the first place. And let's face it, he's mine, so that's basically stealing. And you know what? I don't like thieves. I never have. And so, for this little mistake of hers, she'd pay. And I mean big time.

Dessa fought to get away from me; all the while that tornado-thing came closer and closer. It seemed no one in the room even saw the stuff soaring through the air in the gym, because they all just kept their eyes pinned on Dessa and me. I used this to my advantage. A metal folding chair flew at me, and I, being the genius that I am, twisted Dessa around and used her as a human shield. Am I clever or what?

The chair hit Dessa in the chest; the force of the impact sent us both flying. Dessa landed near Cee Cee and Adam, and I landed at Jade's feet. I looked up at her, she was still clinging to Jesse, who seemed to have no idea where he was, the look in her eyes was still sad and desperate, she said, "Smash the crystal! Hurry, your friend doesn't have much time! He's fading fast!" This propelled me to my feet and toward the other side of the gym, where Dessa laid moaning and groaning. I figured she must have a few broken ribs because of the way she had wrapped her arms around her chest.

I pried her arms away and tore the leather cord from her neck. "Hey!" She made a grab for it, "That's mine!" I reached out and slapped her again, "Not anymore." I held it up to eye-level to examine it. It was glowing... the way a ghost glows, same color and everything. I looked closer at it, and something inside moved.

I gasped and gazed closer still, there were people inside. Hundreds and hundreds of people... and they fought to get out, they pounded on the walls of the tiny rock I held in my hand. That's when I realized... these weren't people, these were souls. Jade was right... I stared at Dessa, stunned and confused, "You monster," I said, "You trapped all these people inside... why? Even better question... how?" She struggled to get to her feet, "Because," she panted, "They're MINE! I found them, I get to keep them."

"They aren't yours!" I said, "You're messing with things beyond your control!" I held the crystal away from her, "But not while I'm around." That's when I dropped it. As it fell to the floor, Dessa dove after it, screaming "NOOOO!" like you would hear in the movies. When it reached the floor, it didn't shatter like I had hoped. Dessa hit the floor hard, but she missed her target. She stretched her arm out, trying to get to the crystal. I, however, had other ideas. I picked it up again and set it on the floor, out of her reach.

That's when I stepped on it.

As I stepped on it, I prayed to God that I didn't squish the people inside of it. The crystal cracked under the weight of my Sam and Libby three inched spiked high-heel. Light poured from it, as if I had just opened a window at sunrise. Then, there was a bright flash, like lightning.

It was a beautiful blue-white light, you know, the kind you might see if you got abducted by aliens or something.

That's when I saw all these people-ghosts, actually-suddenly filling the room. I mean, I'd never seen so many ghosts in one place before. It was really something. As I was gaping at all the dead people around me, I hardly noticed when Dessa climbed to her feet and pointed at me, "You've ruined everything!" While she was pointing she was picking up things with her mind; "They were my friends! My only friends! My real friends!"

I blinked at her, about to come up with a really smart aleck come back and maybe slap her a few more times. But that's when I heard Adam yell, "Suze! Watch out!" I spun around, to see another table flying in my direction. I dropped to the floor without another thought.

The table hit the ground where I had just been standing, and splintered into a million pieces. I continued looking around at all the ghosts around me. My brain screamed at me: _Jesse, Jesse, I had to find Jesse!_ I turned my back on Dessa, looking for Jesse in that circle of people where he had just been standing. Something inside told me to turn back around, and I did. Only to see large chunks of that table flying at me. I wasn't fast enough, not this time. A metal table leg caught my left shoulder with all the force of an oncoming freight train, and it drove me to the ground.

Swell. What a way to spend your evening.

It literally had me pinned to the gym floor. I couldn't move, and for a moment, everything got quiet. Really quiet, it was so peaceful. But that's when Cee Cee started to scream, "OH MY GOD! YOU KILLED HER! YOU KILLED SUZE!"

After that, all hell broke loose.

People started running and screaming, trying to get away from the chaos inside the gym. I screamed, afraid I would be trampled to death like those people at that Who concert in Cincinnati all those years ago. I reached over and tried desperately to pull the table leg out of my shoulder, and let me tell you, that really hurt bad.

I couldn't see Dessa anymore, nor could I see all the spirits I had just released. I really thought I was in for it, I mean it, I was pretty sure I was dead. I closed my eyes and let my head touch the gym floor; so far people were doing a pretty good job of not stepping on me, which was very much appreciated.

"Oh my God! Suze! You're bleeding!" I opened my eyes to see Cee Cee kneeling beside me, "Suze! Stay here! I'll call 911!" Cee Cee then ran off to call 911, I yelled after her, "I'll wait right here!" I let my head slump back to the floor again, and I let my eyes drift shut. The pain in my shoulder shot all the way down to my legs. It was white-hot pain... you know, the kind that really, really, _really_ hurts?

That's when I realized I was bleeding, I mean, big time, I was actually laying in a pool of my own blood. Ew. This dress is _so_ ruined. Just as I was wishing I had an Advil, I felt strong hands under my left shoulder, "Suze! What happened to you?"

I opened my eyes and saw Adam peering down at me, "Adam?" I asked. My vision was starting to swim and I saw black spots before my eyes. "Oh my God," he said, then he swore quiet colorfully, "Suze... what-... how did this happen?"

"Adam," I croaked, my hearing was starting to fade, I could hardly hear myself. I was losing a lot of blood, which, normally never happens, but hey, I normally don't get impaled with table legs, either. "Adam," I said again, struggling with the table leg in my right shoulder, "You have to get your car, go find your car, and Cee Cee and get me out of here!"

People were still running around in the gym like headless chickens, screaming and yelling. God, it was so loud... but everything I was seeing, feeling and hearing started to dull. I hate to say this, because I know it sounds like I'm a drama queen, but I knew I was dying. I was bleeding to death.

Wow, what a way to die... in a pool of your own blood and a ruined Just Choon evening gown. Adam nodded quickly, "C'mon, let's get you out of here-..." Before he could actually finish that sentence, he was knocked away by a strong gust of wind.

No one had opened any doors or anything; it could only be one person.

Dessa O'Connor.

She launched herself away from the crowd of people, and dove for my throat. I gasped and twisted my body towards the table leg-which, I might add, hurt very much. Dessa-like Adam-swore colorfully at me. She wrapped her manicured hands around my throat like I'd done to her. "You'll die!" She screamed at me, "I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Kill _me_? Because I freed a bunch of trapped souls-that of which included my boyfriend-from your evil clutches? Will someone please tell me exactly what I did _wrong_ here?

Dessa didn't care, she just kept tightening the grip she had on my windpipe. Somehow, even though I was losing blood as fast as an SUV sucks gas, I managed to get my left leg out from under me, and I used this leg to apply a three-inch spiked high-heel to Dessa's gut. I kicked her as hard as I could, which must have been pretty hard because Dessa let go of my throat and was knocked backwards. I lay there for a moment, trying to clear the dizziness from my head. Then she came at me again.

But this time, I was ready for her. As she started to come at me, I gave my best Rockette's kick and hit her square in the chin. This also sent her flying backwards, but, sadly, the force of my kick was not strong enough to break her jaw as I had hoped it would be. Dessa lay there moaning, by this time Adam was scrambling to his feet, still swearing. "God all freakin' mighty!" He exclaimed, (only he didn't say 'freakin'.) He wrapped his hands around the table leg protruding from my shoulder, and gave a hard yank.

It made a really gross sucking sound, which caused more blood to flow from the wound, and it hurt really badly too, because then I started swearing. With another hard yank, Adam had freed me from the vile table leg and was pulling me to my feet.

At that moment, Cee Cee ran up to me, "I called 911... OH MY GOD SUZE! What happened to you!" I shoved her aside, and with another good kick to Dessa's ribs, I shoved her aside, too. I yelled into the crowd, "Jesse!" Of course, no one could hear me over everyone else's screaming.

Adam grabbed my good arm and started dragging me toward the doors, "C'mon! Let's get outta here!" I was so weak; I had no choice but to be pulled along. I tried not to let my weakness show, so when we got to the parking lot, I started to run. (Bad idea for someone who is bleeding to death.) Cee Cee and Adam ran ahead of me, not looking back. I started to run across the soft grass that was in front of RLS High School, and I found that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep going. I stopped running, and jogged a little ways. Then I stopped jogging and walked, I kept thinking, _I have to catch up with Cee Cee and Adam..._

Then after that, I stopped completely and just stood there swaying back and forth. That's when I was pretty sure that there was just no more blood left in my body. And I also found that I was too tired to care anymore.

Then I simply fainted.

The last thing I remember was being hauled to my feet by a pair of strong hands, those hands were then placed behind my knees and I was lifted and carried to someplace. Then the person began yelling at me in Spanish.

---

"I don't think you should pick her up," Jade cried as she trailed along behind Jesse, who held an unconscious Susannah in his arms, "What if she has neck damage or something?" Jade stopped running, threw off the high-heels she was wearing to accompany the tacky outfit Dessa had placed her in, and started to run after Jesse. "Oh my God," by this time Jade had started to sob, "She saved me, she saved my life! C'mon, hurry, we have to find her friends, oh my God, are you all right?"

Jesse stopped, shifted Susannah's weight in his arms and replied, "Don't worry about me, run ahead and find her friends! Go! Now!" Jade did as he told her and she started to run toward the parking lot. Jesse wasn't far behind. Blood trickled down Susannah's arm, soaked into Jesse's shirt and dripped from her fingertips. "Hey! Hey you! Wait! Wait for us!" Jade called to Cee Cee and Adam, "Wait for us, please! We have to get her to the hospital!"

Cee Cee stopped, said to Adam, "Go get your car, HURRY!" Adam kept running toward the street, where he was forced to park to get into the dance. Cee Cee whipped around and ran back towards Jade and Jesse, "How bad is she hurt?" She asked Jesse as she fell into step with him. "She's hurt bad," Jesse replied, taking only a second to spare a glance at Cee Cee, "I don't know if she'll make it."

"She's _got_ to make it, she just has to!" Cee Cee said, running ahead, grabbing Jade by the arm and tugging her across the street. By this time, Adam had unlocked the doors, and threw back the seats so they could all fit.

Jesse gently laid Susannah on the sidewalk, and gazed down at her for a moment. Her face was pale and ashen, blood covered her shoulders and neck and she was missing a shoe. Shaking aside his fear, Jesse stripped off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders. "Oh no," He glanced up at the owner of the voice, to see that Jade was still crying, "You're hurt, too," she observed as she looked at Jesse's blood soaked shirt.

"That's from her," he said, scooping Suze up in his arms again, "Let's go or she won't make it!" Everyone piled into the car, Jade, Jesse and Suze in the back seat, Adam and Cee Cee in the front.

Adam sped off down the street towards the hospital.

---

Oh man, why is it so cold in here? And why am I all wet? Where am I? Whose arms are around me? Oh no, what about Jesse! And Jade! I have to get them out... I have to go back! Must open eyes... Oh... why do my arms feel so heavy? And... oh, what happened to me? Why am I so thirsty? And... someone is touching my ankles...

I mustered enough strength to open my eyes just a little bit... I had to see who was holding me and why I was all wet... When I got my eyes opened far enough, I was very shocked to see Jesse peering down at me. It had taken most of my remaining energy to open my eyes, but I managed to whisper, "J-J-Jesse?"

"Shhh!" He silenced me, "Don't try to speak, I'm right here." I felt his arm tighten around my waist. _He looks funny_; I thought as I looked up at him, he looks really weird. _Why are his eyes so shiny?_ I was trying to say, "Where am I?" but I was too busy trying to figure out what was wrong with Jesse. Maybe it was because he was alive now, you know? And he wasn't glowing anymore... no, that wasn't it.

I felt his thumb gaze past my cheek and that weird shimmering in his eyes grew brighter, then it faded. That's when I realized, _Jesse was crying._

It was almost funny, in a really pathetic sort of way, I mean, he was alive, and away from Dessa, why was he crying? "Stop it," I said really quietly, and I really don't know how I did this, but I found enough power left in me to reach up and wipe those tears off his cheeks. Then he sort of grabbed my hand and held it to his cheek, all the while, he was staring down at me and all I could think was, Why am I all WET? What river did I fall in? And then I heard other people talking, too, but I couldn't figure out who the voices belonged to... maybe it was just my imagination.

Then Jesse leaned close to me and whispered something really funny, I mean, I thought it was funny because it didn't make any sense, "Don't you leave me, Susannah Simon, you hear me? Don't you leave me."

If I had the energy, I would have laughed at him, I mean, c'mon, I was wet and tired, and getting kind of cold, I wasn't going anywhere. Oh well, maybe being alive again kinda temporarily fried his judgment or something, you know?

I was starting to fall asleep and I realized something, like, since he was alive now, what if he tried to go and you know, get another girlfriend or something? Since Jesse and I weren't boyfriend and girlfriend officially. Maybe this would be a fine time to tell him how much I liked him.

So I started to come up with this big, long excuse about why I liked him, but I decided to shorten it. So I whispered as loud as I possibly could, (which wasn't very loud), "I love you."

And at first Jesse just stared at me, and I kinda thought that he hadn't heard me, you know? Because he went, "What? What did you say?" And then he leaned really close and whispered in my ear, "Say it again." And I guess that would have been really romantic and everything, but I was very, very sleepy.

My eyes started to drift shut, but I said it again, so he could hear me this time, "I love you, Jesse." And then I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

---

"No! No! Susannah, wake up!" Jesse shook her shoulders a little bit to rouse her, "Don't fall asleep! Wake up!" Jade leaned over and looked down at her new friend, "Was she awake? Did she say anything?" Jesse could only stare down at the girl in his arms, "She said she loved me," he whispered almost to himself, like he couldn't really believe it.

Cee Cee unbuckled her seatbelt, reached around and laid two fingers on the side of her friend's bloody neck, "She's got a pulse, but it's barely there, punch it Adam!" Adam did exactly as she asked; he did five times the normal speed limit, which was only 45. Suddenly a pair of blue and red lights appeared behind the little VW Bug.

"Aw, hell!" Adam yelled as he flipped on his turn signal to exit the highway. "Mr. Piggy is gonna have to wait," Cee Cee said as she put her seat belt back on, "He can give you the ticket at the hospital."

"Great, thanks," Adam mumbled. A right turn, a left turn and two squad cars later, they pulled up in front of the E.R. The policemen surrounded the VW Bug, guns drawn. "Get out of the car, nice and slow!" One cop yelled from his position behind his car door. The four teenagers didn't listen however, Cee Cee opened her car door and screamed in the direction of some ambulance drives, "HELP! WE NEED SOME HELP OVER HERE!"

The two drivers came running over as Adam got out of the car with his hands up, Jade was the next one out, followed by Jesse who was still carrying Susannah. "Holy God," one driver said as he took a look at the limp and bloody girl, "She's in bad shape, get her inside!" The driver got on the radio as he followed the four teens inside, the police officers forgotten, "I need a trauma unit to the E.R., stat! We have a..." he looked over Susannah, "fifteen-..."

"Sixteen," Jesse corrected the ambulance driver.

"_Sixteen_ year old female who's lost a lot of blood from a shoulder wound... it looks like she possibly got impaled on a sharp object."

The EMT, who's name tag read 'D.T. Jones' took Susannah from Jesse's arms and placed her on a gurney in a trauma bay. "What's her name?" EMT Jones asked Jesse.

"Susannah Simon," he replied.  
"Age?"   
"Sixteen."  
"Your name?"  
"Uh, Jesse..."  
"Relation to the victim?"  
"A friend, I guess... I just met her. Tonight, at a dance."

EMT Jones nodded and said to Jesse and company, "You guys can talk to Nurse Stevens, and she'll need her phone number and parent's names so they can be notified." The four of them headed out to the waiting room. Jesse and Jade plopped down in side-by-side chairs while Cee Cee and Adam went to find the nurse. Jade turned to Jesse and said, "She had you, too? Dessa did?"

He swallowed very hard and nodded. "I'm sorry," Jade said, reaching over to hold his hand. Jesse chuckled bitterly and held Jade's hand tight, "A new life... a chance to start over... and the one woman I love more than anything in the world isn't going to be in it."

Jesse looked at his feet and didn't try to hide his tears.

---  
One week later  
---

When I woke up I thought, "Whoa... where am I? It's pretty white place... AHHH! Dessa's got me, AHHH!" Then I opened my eyes and realized I was in a hospital room.

And there was a nurse puttering around in the corner of the room. I noticed there was a lot of flowers and stuff, I sat up. There was an IV in my left arm, and a big bandage on my shoulder. The nurse, who was an older woman, maybe fifty or so, turned around and gasped, "You're awake, Miss Simon! You've had visitors in here everyday waiting for you to wake up!"

"Oh," I said, still looking around. "You have some friends waiting right outside the hall, shall I go get them for you?"

"Uh," I tried moving my left shoulder, but it kinda hurt and it was still a little stiff, "Well, who's out there?"

"Two young men and a young lady and a young... err, albino lady..." Oh, Jade and Cee Cee, it has to be Jade, I mean, it couldn't be Gina. "Jade and Cee Cee?" I asked, "Yeah, send them in, but don't let the guys in."

"All right, Miss Simon, I'll be right back." She stepped outside and I pulled the bandage off my shoulder. There wasn't a big, gaping hole like I had expected, instead it was kinda circular and pink, like I had plastic surgery.

I was just climbing out of bed when Cee Cee and Jade came in, both of them hugged me very carefully and Cee Cee handed me a backpack containing some of my clothes and some shampoo. Jade, I noticed, wasn't dressed like a Goth anymore, instead she was wearing a black skirt that came up to mid-calf, knee-high leather boots and a large lavender sweater, because, she explained, it had been rainy and cold while I was asleep.

My doctor came in then and took my IV out, because now I felt pretty darned good. He said my parents were on the way, and I could go home this afternoon.

I took a shower, and got dressed. (Inside the backpack was a pair of blue jeans and a black, one side strap shirt, you know, the shirts that only have one strap? My mom had packed this because she figured my shoulder would be sore. Which was really nice of her, actually.) While I was brushing my teeth, I asked if Cee Cee could go and grab me a Coke, because I kinda wanted to talk to Jade alone.

When Cee Cee left I asked, "So, um, how's Dessa? She gonna be okay?" Jade replied evenly, "She's dead, Suze. The spirits you released destroyed her." Oh great, now I'll probably be charged for murder. "Well, um, h-how's Jesse? You know? He didn't like disappear at midnight, did he?"

Jade smiled, "No, he's out in the hallway, pacing probably. He's been driving us all crazy, waiting for you to wake up. He's uh, he's staying with Cee's Aunt Pru, you know? And he and Adam are like, attached at the hip now. It's funny. Oh, and your step-brother David got your cat out of your room and sent him along with Jesse."

My heart did a crazy leap, "Oh-... oh, can I see him? Will you send Jesse in?"

Jade's smile got wider, "Sure, I'll tell Cee Cee you guys want some time alone." Butterflies began to rise in my stomach, I did it! Jesse's alive, and I freed all those people and... and... I didn't have much time to think about anything because at that moment the door swung open and Jesse walked in.

He shut the door quietly and turned around to face me. And I could do was stare at him, and it seemed that was all Jesse could do, too. I swear to God, if for some strange reason I ever thought Tad Beaumont, Bryce Martinson or Paul Slater were hot for any reason, I am stupid beyond belief. Because Jesse... whew, he took the cake.

I looked him up and down and I finally forced my vocal cords to move, "So, uh... looks like Adam took you shopping..." And damn, did Adam have good taste! Jesse was wearing a plain white t-shirt, blue jeans, a leather jacket and a pair of Nikes. _Nikes_, can you believe that? Jesse seemed very shy, "Well, no... Jade and Cee Cee did."

Whatever, Jade and Cee Cee have good taste, and the leather jacket was a great touch! They knew a good bod when they saw one! "I didn't think you were going to make it," Jesse said to the floor. "The doctors, um, the doctors said that the chances of you surviving weren't very good."

I did my best to smile at him, it was hard considering I was still really tired and here was this beautiful piece of man-candy trying to go all mushy on me. I sat down on my bed and said, "Well, I'm all right now." Jesse looked up at me and finally crossed the room and sat beside me.

All of a sudden, Jesse just looked so sad, like he wanted to ask me something, but couldn't. And then I remembered something, a voice but I couldn't remember who said it, _"Don't you leave me, Susannah Simon, you hear me? Don't you leave me."_

I smiled and reached up to touch that little scar hidden in his eyebrow, "See Jesse? I didn't leave you, I won't. Not today, not tomorrow." Jesse smiled at me, grabbed my hand, pulled me closer and said, "How about never, _querida_?" And that was the second time he kissed me. On the lips.

---  
Two months later  
---

October in California was basically like July, sunny and one hundred degrees. Today was a beautiful Saturday morning on the beaches of Carmel. All eight of us, (Me, Cee Cee, Adam, Jade, Jesse, Sleepy, Dopey, and Doc) had all piled into the Rambler to "hit the waves" and have "'za" on the beach later.

Meaning Sleepy and Adam had volunteered to teach Jesse how to surf and we were going for pizza later in the afternoon.

As Jade, Cee Cee and I set out our lawn chairs and slathered ourselves with sunscreen, we watched David and Brad get on their boards and fall head first into the waves. I was settled nicely in my chair, Cee Cee and Jade on either side of me, and had just picked up my book when Jesse plopped down in the sand beside me, so that he was sandwiched between Cee Cee and I.

"Are you going to try this?" He asked, pointing to Dopey's old surfboard that he had laid behind my chair, "Because there is no way I'm doing it alone."

"Nuh-uh, no way, I don't do surfing," I protested. "Oh yes you do," Adam said, sitting on the other side of me, "C'mon, I'll teach you."

"No way. I am going to sit here, soak up some rays, read my book and watch all the hot lifeguards on the beach."

"Here, here!" Jade yelled, laughing. "Pllleeeasssseeee?" Adam whined, laying his head on my shoulder. I laughed and shoved him away, "Go harass Cee Cee!"

"Don't send him over here!" Cee Cee said, grabbing her towel and throwing it over her head so no one could see her. "Oh well," Jesse said to Adam, "It was worth a shot, c'mon, let's go!" He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead, "Love you Suzie, have fun!"

Jesse picked up Dopey's board and he and Adam trudged off toward the water. I just sat there and smiled at him as he walked away, then I returned to my book.

"God Suze," Cee Cee said to me, I looked over at her then at the ocean, watching Jesse and Adam on their boards. "What?" I asked. "You are so lucky, girl," Cee Cee continued, I smiled as I watched Jesse fall off his surfboard, "I mean, you're from New York... you're popular, your stepdad is a great cook, you've got a hot boyfriend, you've got lots of friends, I mean, what more could you ask for?"

"Yeah," I said quietly, as I kept my eyes pinned on Jesse, "I really am... aren't I? I'm the luckiest girl in the world."

To Be Continued...


	5. Family

**Epilogue: Ten Years Later**

I stood in front of my kitchen window, watching the ocean. I really liked my new house; my husband built it for me. He did a wonderful job; he rebuilt this old house on one of the many hills in San Francisco and added a lot of new stuff. I have a sitting window in our bedroom, and a library where I can read and do my drawings. It's got a big backyard, with trees and even a tire swing.

A lot has happened in the past ten years, I got married, bought a house, and graduated from college. I got married when I was 19 years old, everyone said I was too young, but I didn't listen, I was in love. I still am. I went to college and graduated with honors, which was a surprise to me, because I never did well in school, do to the grueling hours of mediator duty. But I guess I did pretty good because right now I currently work for Prada; I'm one of their top fashion designers.

I feel like a different person. I'm still a mediator, but I'm not as violent as I used to be, marriage can really calm a person's inner anger. And I was angry. I was a very angry child, being a mediator didn't make it any easier. "Mommy, what are you looking at? Is Daddy home yet?" I smiled. My four-year-old daughter helped calm my anger, too. When I was younger, little kids used to drive me crazy, now I can't get enough of them.

I turned away from the window and knelt to look at my daughter, "Mommy's just watching the ocean. And no, Dad's not home yet, but it's almost suppertime, so why don't you help me set the table?" Katie looked disappointed. She was her daddy's girl. In all respects, she looked just like her father. But she was the same as me, she was a mediator, too.

And, believe it or not, got frequent visits from her late Grandpa, my dad. Who has yet to move on. "Can we eat on the purple plates tonight, Mom?" Katie asked; I was about to reply when Fat Louie, Katie's cat came running into the room. This could only mean one thing, "Daddy's home!" Katie shrieked and ran towards the garage. I smiled and shook my head. Louie, the son of Spike, ran after her.

A few moments later I heard footsteps coming in the direction of the kitchen, "Daddy, Mommy's making pizza for dinner!" Katie cried happily. "She is?" Her father echoed. "Well," Katie amended, "She ordered it."

"Ah hah," he said to me as he came into the kitchen. He leaned down and kissed me soundly on the lips, "How come you ordered out again, Suzie?" It used to drive me crazy when anyone but my mom would call me Suzie, but now I don't really mind it when my husband does it. "I just ran out of time," I said, smiling up at him, "How was your day?"

"Long," He replied, scooping up Katie and plopping her in his lap, "Andy's thinking about restoring this old car his grandfather had, and he wants me to help." My stepfather, Andy Ackerman, had hired my husband to work for his construction company. Andy even helped rebuild my house! "Wow," I said, raising my eyebrows, "Are you gonna help him?"

My sentence was interrupted again, because the doorbell rang. "That's probably dinner," I said, walking from the kitchen, "I'll get it."

---

Later that night, after Katie was bathed, fed, read to, put to bed and sound asleep, I crept upstairs to my bedroom. I pressed my ear against the bathroom door and heard water running. Hm, I thought, he must be in the shower already. Poor guy, he works so hard, and I sit at home and draw all day. But let me tell ya, some of my designs have set some hot trends on the runways in Paris and Milan.

I stepped out onto the porch that was attached to our bedroom and breathed deeply. I really loved it here in California, the sun was always shining, the ocean was always crystal clear and there was a lot of building going on, which was good for Andy's company. The color of the ocean as the sunset suddenly gave me an idea for a wicked evening gown. I started to plot out the size and shape in my head. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts; I didn't even hear my husband sneak up behind me.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed the back of my neck, I jumped a foot in the air. "Jesse!" I exclaimed, "You startled me!"

Surprised? It still surprises me sometimes, when I wake up next to him and he doesn't have this _glow_ around him anymore.

He smirked, "A penny for your thoughts, _querida_?" I smiled and turned around in his grasp so I could look up at him, "You never did tell me what that means," I said, still smiling. Jesse kept right on smirking, "You'll just have to figure it out yourself then, won't you?" I sighed and rested my head in the middle of his bare chest, "Oh, you're so mean to me."

"Yes, I am, aren't I?" He mused, "I build you a nice, big house-..."

"Oh, shut up," I teased, "Every time you want your own way, you make me feel guilty." Jesse smiled down at me and kissed my forehead. I sighed again, "I love you, Jesse." I thought of the first time he told me he loved me, we were hanging out with Cee Cee and Adam at my house, (who, by the way, are now married to each other and they are expecting their first), and I said something totally stupid that made everyone laugh, and all of a sudden, Jesse puts his arm around me, says, "I love you, Susannah" and kisses me right in front of everyone. I mean, even my mom and Andy.

It was totally random, but whatever, I liked it all the same. Kinda like now, Jesse rested his cheek on the top of my head, and said, "I love you too, Suzie." No matter how hard I try, I still can't get him to call me just plain old "Suze."

"Is Katie in bed already?" He asked. A slight breeze kicked up, I shivered and cuddled closer against him. "Yup," I said, "Fed, been read to, and is now off in dreamland."

"Good."

I kept thinking of that dress... with the colors of the setting sun. "I had a new idea for a dress."

"Oh?" Jesse shifted his weight and held me closer against his chest. "Yeah, I was thinking of throwing like a lot of purples and golds into it... and the design would kinda be like my wedding dress."

My wedding. Now there's a day I would never forget. Jesse and I got married on a quiet little stretch of beach just a few miles outside of Carmel, at sunset, around the second week of July. In fact, Father Dominic married us, even though neither of us are Catholic. My wedding dress-as I have just mentioned-was in a halter-top style, was floor length and it was white. Simple, yet elegant. Just the way I like it.

"Hey," Jesse said, "I bet that'll be really nice." It was so funny to hear Jesse talk like a normal person, you know, slang and all that, but he still says a lot of stuff in Spanish. A habit, of which, I've come to pick up over the last few years. If I mess something up, I have a tendency to swear in Spanish.

"There goes the sun," Jesse said. I looked up to see the sun sinking into the Pacific Ocean, to be snuffed out for the night. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him slowly.

"And," I said, "It's all right."

The End.

---

**Author's Ending Note:** Wow, can you guys believe out of all the series I'm working on, this is the only one I've ever FINISHED? Anyway, I had a few notes that I would like to point out to the readers:

**Number One:** I have no idea if there is an actual "Carmel Day" in Carmel, California. I just made it up for the story.

**Number Two:** Before you leave me a review saying "Jesse wouldn't cry, are you nuts?" try to put yourself in his position, I mean coming back from the dead can be quiet a life-altering experience if you know what I mean, and then finding out the woman you love is possibly cadaver material, well, that can be pretty earth-shattering if you ask me.

**Number Three:** This story was actually based on an _X-Files_ episode I watched one time, where a man had the capabilities of thinking things into life, and he used this creature he made up to go and kill and bunch of his neighbors. Which, I mean, in a sense is kinda cool, I mean, I know I would love to send a garbage-based, sewer-dwelling creature to attack some of my neighbors!

**Number Four:** Thanks to ShadowKat for bugging me to finish this story.

**Number Five:** Okay, have you read all my rants and rambles? Go ahead and leave me that review! C'mon, you know you wanna! Dammit, what are you waiting for? Don't just stand there reading this, click on that little button that says "Review". Click it. DO IT NOW! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!


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